rma 
il 


JOSEPHINE. 


/IDafeers  of  Tbistor^ 


Josephine 


BY  JOHN   S.  C.  ABBOTT 


WITH   ENGRAVINGS 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

HARPER    &   BROTHERS   PUBLISHERS 

1904 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifty-one,  by 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District 
of  New  York. 


Copyright,  1879,  by  SUSAN  ABBOTT  MEAD. 


MAKIA  ANTOINETTE,  Madame  Roland,  and 
Josephine  are  the  three  most  prominent  hero- 
ines of  the  French  Revolution.  The  history 
of  their  lives  necessarily  records  all  the  most 
interesting  events  of  that  most  fearful  tragedy 
which  man  has  ever  enacted.  Maria  Antoi- 
nette beheld  the  morning  dawn  of  the  Revo- 
lution; its  lurid  mid -day  sun  glared  upon 
Madame  Roland;  and  Josephine  beheld  the 
portentous  phenomenon  fade  away.  Bach  of 
these  heroines  displayed  traits  of  character 
worthy  of  all  imitation.  No  one  can  read 
the  history  of  their  lives  without  being  enno- 
bled by  the  contemplation  of  the  fortitude 
and  grandeur  of  spirit  they  evinced.  To 
the  young  ladies  of  our  land  we  especially 
commend  the  Heroines  of  the  French  Rev- 
olution. 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  Pag* 

I.    LIFE    IN    MARTINIQUE.. 13 

II.    MARRIAGE    OP    JOSEPHINE 31 

III.  ARREST    OP   M.  BEAUHARNAIS  AND   JOSEPHINE-.  48 

IV.  SCENES    IN    PRISON 68 

V.   THE   RELEASE   FROM  PRISON 81 

VI.    JOSEPHINE    IN    ITALY 105 

VII.    JOSEPHINE    AT   MALMAISON 130 

VIII.   JOSEPHINE    THE    WIPE    OF   THE    FIRST   CONSUL.  149 

IX.   DEVELOPMENTS    OF   CHARACTER 171 

X.    THE   CORONATION 198 

XI.   JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS 232 

XII.   THE    DIVORCE   AND    LAST  DAYS..                               .  282 


ENGRAVINGS. 


Page 

THE    SIBYL 24 

THE    WARNING 58 

THE    PANTOMIME 85 

ISOLA    BELLA 109 

THE    INTERVIEW 156 

THE   CORONATION..                                                                      .  224 


JOSEPHINE. 

CHAPTER   L 
LlFK   IV   MARTINIQUE. 


Its  Tiria*  temtlM 


FlIHE  island  of  Martinique  emerges  in  tropi- 
-•-  oal  luxuriance  from  the  bosom  of  the  Ca- 
ribbean Sea.  A  meridian  sun  causes  the  whole 
land  to  smile  in  perennial  verdure,  and  all  the 
gorgeous  flowers  and  luscious  fruits  of  the  torrid 
zone  adorn  upland  and  prairie  in  boundless  pro- 
fusion. Mountains,  densely  wooded,  rear  their 
summits  sublimely  to  the  skies,  and  valleys 
charm  the  eye  with  pictures  more  beautiful 
than  imagination  can  create.  Ocean  breezes 
ever  sweep  these  hills  and  vales,  and  temper  the 
heat  of  a  vertical  sun.  Slaves,  whose  dusky 
limbs  are  scarcely  veiled  by  the  lightest  cloth- 
ing, till  the  soil,  while  the  white  inhabitants, 
supported  by  the  indolent  labor  of  these  unpaid 
menials,  loiter  away  life  in  listless  leisure  and 
In  rustic  luxury.  Far  removed  from  the  dissi- 


14  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1760 

Birth  of  JoMpUae.  Her  parent*' doUh 

pating  influencos  of  European  and  American 
opulence,  they  dwell  in  their  secluded  island  in 
a  state  of  almost  patriarchal  simplicity. 

About  the  year  1760,  a  young  French  officer, 
Captain  Joseph  Gaspard  Tascher,  accompanied 
his  regiment  of  horse  to  this  island.  While 
here  on  professional  duty,  he  became  attached 
to  a  young  lady  from  France,  whose  parents, 
formerly  opulent,  in  consequence  of  the  loss  of 
property,  had  moved  to  the  West  Indies  to  re- 
trieve their  fortunes.  But  little  is  known  re- 
specting Mademoiselle  de  Sanois,  this  young 
lady,  who  was  soon  married  to  M.  Tasoher. 
Josephine  was  the  only  child  born  of  this  union 
In  consequence  of  the  early  death  of  her  mother, 
she  was,  while  an  infant,  intrusted  to  the  care 
of  her  aunt.  Her  father  soon  after  died,  and 
the  little  orphan  appears  never  to  have  known 
a  father's  or  a  mother's  love. 

Madame  Renaudin,  the  kind  aunt,  who  now, 
with  maternal  affection,  took  charge  of  the  help- 
1668  infant,  was  a  lady  of  wealth,  and  of  great 
benevolence  of  character.  Her  husband  was 
the  owner  of  several  estates,  and  lived  surround- 
ed by  all  that  plain  and  rustic  profusion  which 
characterizes  the  abode  of  the  wealthy  planter 
His  large  possessions,  and  his  energy  of  ohar&o- 


A  1).  1765.]  LIFE  IN  MARTINIQUE.  1C 

M.  Renaudio.  His  kind  treatment  of  kU  tl«T*« 

ter,  gave  him  a  wide  influence  over  the  island. 
He  was  remarkable  for  his  humane  treatment 
of  his  slaves,  and  for  the  successful  manner  witl 
which  he  conducted  the  affairs  of  his  plantations 
The  general  condition  of  the  slaves  of  Martin 
ioo  at  this  time  was  very  deplorable ;  but  or. 
the  plantations  of  M.  Renaudin  there  was  as 
perfect  a  state  of  contentment  and  of  happiness 
as  is  consistent  with  the  deplorable  institution 
of  slavery.  The  slaves,  many  of  them  but  re- 
eently  torn  from  their  homes  in  Africa,  were 
necessarily  ignorant,  degraded,  and  supersti- 
tious. They  knew  nothing  of  those  more  ele- 
vated and  refined  enjoyments  which  the  culti- 
vated mind  so  highly  appreciates,  but  which  are 
so  often  also  connected  with  the  most  exquisite 
suffering.  Josephine,  in  subsequent  life,  gave 
a  very  vivid  description  of  the  wretchedness  of 
the  slaves  in  general,  and  also  of  the  peace  and 
harmony  which,  in  striking  contrast,  cheered 
the  estates  of  her  uncle.  When  the  days'  tasks 
were  done,  the  negroes,  constitutionally  light- 
hearted  and  merry,  gathered  around  their  cab- 
bis  with  songs  and  dances,  often  prolonged  late 
into  the  hours  of  the  night.  They  had  never 
known  any  thing  better  than  their  present  lot 
They  compared  their  condition  with  that  of  the 


16  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1763 

Gratitude  of  the  ilarac.  J»Mpll1ini  •  «nlTen»l  f iTorlt* 

slaves  on  the  adjoining  plantations,  and  exnlted 
in  view  of  their  own  enjoyments.  M.  and  Mad- 
ame Renaudin  often  visited  their  oabins,  spoke 
words  of  kindness  to  them  in  then  hours  of 
sickness  and  sorrow,  encouraged  the  formation 
of  pure  attachments  and  honorable  marriage 
among  the  young,  and  took  a  lively  interest  in 
their  sports.  The  slaves  loved  their  kind  mas- 
ter and  mistress  most  sincerely,  and  manifested 
their  affection  in  a  thousand  simple  ways  which 
touched  the  heart. 

Josephine  imbibed  from  infancy  the  spirit  of 
her  uncle  and  aunt  She  always  spoke  to  ti* 
slaves  in  tones  of  kindness,  and  became  a  uni- 
versal favorite  with  all  upon  the  plantations. 
She  had  no  playmates  but  the  little  negroes 
and  she  united  with  them  freely  in  all  their 
f  ports.  Still,  these  little  ebon  children  of  bond- 
age evidently  looked  up  to  Josephine  as  to  a 
superior  being.  She  was  the  queen  around 
whom  they  circled  in  affectionate  homage.  The 
instinctive  faculty,  which  Josephine  displayed 
through  life,  of  winning  the  most  ardent  love 
of  all  who  met  her,  while,  at  the  same  time,  sh*> 
was  protected  from  any  undue  familiarity,  she 
seems  to  have  possessed  even  at  that  early  day 
The  children,  who  were  her  companions  in  aU 


A.  D.  1765.]    LlFEINMARTINiqtE.  17 

Hospitality  of  M.  Renaudln.  Society  at  his  bouw 

the  sports  of  childhood,  were  also  dutiful  subjects 
over  ready  to  be  obedient  to  her  will. 

The  social  position  of  M.  Rjnaudin,  as  DIM 
of  the  most  opulent  and  influential  gentlemen 
of  Martinique,  necessarily  attracted  to  his  hos- 
pitable residence  much  refined  and  cultivated 
society.  Strangers  from  Europe  visiting  the 
island,  planters  of  intellectual  tastes,  and  ladies 
of  polished  manners,  met  a  cordial  welcome  be- 
neath the  spacious  roof  of  this  abode,  where  all 
abundance  was  to  be  found.  Madame  Renau- 
din  had  passed  her  early  years  in  Paris,  and  her 
manners  were  embellished  with  that  elegance 
and  refinement  which  have  given  to  Parisian 
society  such  a  world-wide  celebrity.  There 
was,  at  that  period,  much  more  intercourse  be- 
tween the  mother  country  and  the  colonies  than 
at  the  present  day.  Thus  Josephine,  though 
reared  in  a  provincial  home,  was  accustomed, 
from  infancy,  to  associate  with  gentlemen  and 
ladies  who  were  familiar  with  the  etiquette  of 
the  highest  rank  in  society,  and  whose  conver- 
sation was  intellectual  and  improving. 

It  at  first  view  seems  difficult  to  account  foi 
the  high  degree  of  mental  culture  which  Jo- 
sephine displayed,  when,  seated  by  the  side  of 
Napoleon,  she  was  tl'e  Empress  of  Frano? 
19—2 


18  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1765 

bity  education  of  Josephine.  Her  icoomplUhnienU 

Her  remarks,  her  letters,  her  conversational  ele- 
ganoe,  gave  indication  of  a  mind  thoroughly 
furnished  with  information  and  trained  by  se- 
vere discipline.  And  yet,  from  all  the  glimpses 
we  can  catch  of  her  early  education,  it  would 
•eem  that,  with  the  exception  of  the  accomplish- 
ments of  music,  dancing,  and  drawing,  she  was 
left  very  much  to  the  guidance  of  her  own  in- 
stinctive tastes.  But,  like  Madame  Roland, 
she  was  blessed  with  that  peculiar  mental  con- 
stitution, which  led  her,  of  her  own  accord,  to 
treasure  up  all  knowledge  which  books  or  con- 
versation brought  within  her  reach.  From 
childhood  until  the  hour  of  her  death,  she  was 
ever  improving  her  mind  by  careful  observation 
and  studious  reading.  She  played  upon  the 
harp  with  great  skill,  and  sang  with  a  voice  of 
exquisite  melodj .  She  also  read  with  a  correct- 
ness of  elocution  and  a  fervor  of  feeling  which 
ever  attracted  admiration.  The  morning  of  her 
childhood  was  indeed  bright  and  sunny,  and 
her  gladdened  heart  became  so  habituated  to 
joyonsness,  that  her  cheerful  spirit  seldom  failed 
her  even  in  the  darkest  days  of  her  calamity. 
Hei  passionate  love  for  flowers  had  interested 
her  deeply  in  the  study  of  botany,  and  she  also 
became  very  skillful  in  embroidery,  that  aocom 


A.D  1765.]  LIFE  IN  MARTINIQUE.  19 

Ccphemle  Sbe  beoomM  JovepUne'i  btwont  eompcakm 

plishment  which  was  onoe  deemed  an  essentia 
part  of  the  education  of  every  lady. 

Under  such  influences  Josephine  became  * 
child  of  such  grace,  beauty,  and  loveliness  of 
oharaoter  as  to  attract  the  attention  and  the 
admiration  of  all  who  saw  her.  There  was  an 
affectionateness,  simplicity,  and  frankness  in  her 
manners  which  won  all  hearts.  Her  most  in- 
timate companion  in  these  early  years  was  a 
young  mulatto  girl,  the  daughter  of  a  slave,  and 
report  said,  with  how  much  truth  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  know,  that  she  was  also  the  daughter  of 
Captain  Tascher  before  his  marriage.  Her 
oame  was  Euphemie.  She  was  a  year  or  two 
older  than  Josephine,  but  she  attached  herself 
with  deathless  affection  to  her  patroness ;  and, 
though  Josephine  made  her  a  companion  and  a 
confidante,  she  gradually  passed,  even  in  these 
early  years,  into  the  position  of  a  maid  of  honor, 
and  clung  devotedly  to  her  mistress  through  all 
the  changes  of  subsequent  life.  Josephine,  at 
this  time  secluded  from  all  companionship  with 
joung  ladies  of  her  own  rank  and  age,  made 
this  humble  but  active-minded  and  intelligent 
girl  her  bosom  companion.  They  rambled  to- 
gether, the  youthful  mistress  and  her  maid,  LB 
perfect  harmony  From  Josephine's  more  high 


20  JOSEPHINE.          (A.D.  177(1 

Popularity  of  Josephine.  Childhood  enjoynienW 

iy-cultivated  mind  the  lowly-born  child  derived 
intellectual  stimulus,  and  thus  each  day  became 
a  more  worthy  and  congenial  associate.  At 
years  passed  on,  and  Josephine  ascended  inte 
higher  regions  of  splendor,  her  humble  attend- 
ant gradually  retired  into  more  obscure  posi- 
tions, though  she  was  ever  regarded  by  her  true- 
hearted  mistress  with  great  kindness. 

Josephine  was  a  universal  favorite  with  &\\ 
the  little  negro  girls  of  the  plantation.  They 
.looked  up  to  her  as  to  a  protectress  whom  they 
loved,  and  to  whom  they  owed  entire  homage. 
She  would  frequently  collect  a  group  of  them 
under  the  shade  of  the  luxuriant  trees  of  that 
tropical  island,  and  teach  them  the  dances  which 
she  had  learned,  and  also  join  with  them  as  a 
partner.  She  loved  to  assemble  them  around 
her,  and  listen  to  those  simple  negro  melodies 
which  penetrate  every  heart  which  can  feel  the 
power  of  music.  Again,  all  their  voices,  in  sweet 
harmony,  blended  with  hers  as  she  taught  them 
the  more  scientific  songs  of  Europe.  She  would 
listen  with  unaffected  interest  to  their  tales  of 
sorrow,  and  weep  with  them.  Often  she  inter- 
posed in  their  behalf  that  their  tasks  might  be 
lightened,  or  that  a  play-day  might  be  allowed 
tnera.  Thus  she  was  as  much  beloved  and  an- 


A.D.  1770.)  LIFE  JN  MAR  nw/QUK.  2i 

Characteristic  traits.  The  fortune-tellet 

mired  in  the  cabin  of  the  poor  negro  as  she  was 
in  her  uncle's  parlor,  where  intelligence  and  re- 
finement were  assembled.  This  same  charac- 
ter she  displayed  through  the  whole  of  her  ca- 
reer. Josephine  upon  the  plantation  and  Jo- 
sephine upon  the  throne — Josephine  surrounded 
by  the  sable  maidens  of  Martinique,  and  Jo- 
sephine moving  in  queenly  splendor  in  the  pal- 
aces of  Versailles,  with  all  the  courtiers  of  Eu- 
rope revolving  around  her,  displayed  the  same 
traits  of  character,  and  by  her  unaffected  kind- 
ness won  the  heart  ^dke  of  the  lowly  and  of 
the  exalted. 

About  this  time  an  occurrence  took  place 
which  has  attracted  far  more  attention  than 
it  deserves.  Josephine  was  one  day  walking 
under  the  shade  of  the  trees  of  the  plantation, 
when  she  saw  a  number  of  negro  children 
gathered  around  an  aged  and  withered  negress, 
who  had  great  reputation  among  the  slaves  as 
a  fortune-teller.  Curiosity  induced  Josephine 
to  draw  near  the  group  to  hear  what  the  sorcer- 
ess had  to  say.  The  c  Id  sibyi,  with  the  cunning 
which  is  characteristic  of  her  craft,  as  soon  as 
she  saw  Josephine  approach,  whom  she  knew 
perfectly,  assumed  an  air  of  great  agitation, 
and,  seizing  her  hand  violently,  gazed  with  most 


22  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1772 

Prediction*  ot  the  •IbyL  Credulity 

earnest  attention  upon  the  lines  traced  upon  the 
palm.  The  little  negresses  were  perfectly  aw». 
stricken  by  this  oraonlar  display.  Josephine^ 
however,  was  only  amused,  and  smiling,  said, 

"  So  you  discover  something  very  extraordi- 
nary in  my  destiny  ?" 

"  Yes !"  replied  the  negress,  with  an  air  of 
great  solemnity. 

"Is  happiness  or  misfortune  to  be  my  lott* 
Josephine  inquired. 

The  negress  again  gazed  upon  her  hand,  and 
then  replied,  "Misfortune;"  but,  after  a  mo- 
ment's pause,  she  added,  "  and  happiness  too." 

"You  must  be  careful,  my  good  woman,' 
Josephine  rejoined,  "not  to  commit  yourself 
Your  predictions  are  not  very  intelligible." 

The  negress,  raising  her  eyes  with  an  expres- 
sion of  deep  mystery  to  heaven,  rejoined,  "I 
am  not  permitted  to  render  my  revelations  more 
clear." 

In  every  human  heart  there  is  a  vein  of  cre- 
dulity. The  pretended  prophetess  had  now  suo 
eeeded  in  fairly  arousing  the  curiosity  of  Jose- 
phine, who  eagerly  inquired,  "What  do  you 
read  respecting  me  in  futurity?  Tell  me  ex- 
actly." 

Again  the  negress.  assuming  an  air  of  pro* 


A..D  1772.]  LIFE  IN  MARTINIQUE.  25 


More  prediction*. 


found  solemnity,  said,  "  You  will  not  believe 
me  if  I  reveal  to  you  your  strange  destiny." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  I  assure  you  that  I  will,"  Jo- 
sephine  thoughtlessly  replied.  "  Come,  good 
mother,  do  tell  me  what  I  have  to  hope  and 
what  to  fear." 

"On  your  own  head  be  it,  then.  Listen. 
You  will  soon  be  married.  That  union  will  not 
be  happy.  You  will  become  a  widow,  and  then 
you  will  be  Queen  of  France.  Some  happy 
years  will  be  yours,  but  afterward  you  will  die 
in  a  hospital,  amid  civil  commotions." 

The  old  woman  then  hurried  away.  Jose- 
phine talked  a  few  moments  with  the  young  ne- 
groes upon  the  folly  of  this  pretended  fortune- 
telling,  and  leaving  them,  the  affair  passed  from 
her  mind.  In  subsequent  years,  when  toiling 
through  the  vicissitudes  of  her  most  eventful 
life,  she  recalled  the  singular  coincidence  be- 
tween her  destiny  and  the  prediction,  and 
seemed  to  consider  that  the  negress,  with  pro- 
phetic vision,  had  traced  out  her  wonderful  ca- 
reer. 

But  what  is  there  so  extraordinary  in  this 
narrative7  What  maiden  ever  consulted  a 
fortune-teller  without  receiving  the  agreeable 
unnounoement  that  she  was  to  wed  beauty,  and 


26  JOSEPHINE.          [AD.  1772 

Explanation*  t»  the  prediction*.  How  fulfilled 

wealth,  and  rank  7  It  was  known  universally , 
and  it  was  a  constant  subject  of  plantation  go& 
•ip,  that  the  guardians  of  Josephine  were  con 
templating  a  match  for  her  with  the  son  of  » 
neighboring  planter.  The  negroes  did  not  think 
him  half  worthy  of  their  adored  and  queenly  Jo- 
sephine. They  supposed,  however,  that  the 
match  was  settled.  The  artful  woman  was 
therefore  compelled  to  allow  Josephine  to  marry 
at  first  the  undistinguished  son  of  the  planter, 
with  whom  she  couid  not  be  happy.  She,  how- 
ever, very  considerately  lets  the  unworthy  hus- 
band in  a  short  time  die,  and  then  Josephine 
becomes  a  queen.  This  is  the  old  story,  which 
has  been  repeated  to  half  the  maidens  in  Chris- 
tendom. It  is  not  very  surprising  that  in  this 
one  case  it  should  have  happened  to  prove  true. 
But,  unfortunately,  our  prophetess  went  a  lit- 
tle farther,  and  predicted  that  Josephine  would 
die  in  a  hospital — implying  poverty  and  aban- 
donment. This  part  of  the  prediction  proved  te 
bo  utterly  untrue.  Josephine,  instead  of  dying 
in  a  hospital,  died  in  the  beautiful  pal  ace  of  Mal- 
inaison.  Instead  of  dying  in  poverty,  she  was 
one  of  the  richest  ladies  in  Europe,  receiving 
an  income  of  some  six  hundred  thousand  dollars 
a  year  The  grounds  around  her  palace  were 


AD.  1772.]  LIFE  IN  MARTIMIQUB.  2? 

Ftldty  of  the  prediction.  Contemplated  m»tcb 

embellished  with  all  the  attractions,  and  hei 
apartments  furnished  with  every  luxury  which 
opulence  could  provide.  Instead  of  dying  in 
firiendlesaness  and  neglect,  the  Emperor  Alex- 
ander of  Russia  stood  at  her  bedside ;  the  most 
illustrious  kings  and  nobles  of  Europe  crowded 
her  court  and  did  her  homage.  And  though 
she  was  separated  from  her  husband,  she  still 
retained  the  title  of  Empress,  and  was  the  ob- 
ject of  his  most  sincere  affection  and  esteem. 

Thus  this  prediction,  upon  which  so  much 
stress  has  been  laid,  seems  to  vanish  in  the  air 
It  surely  is  not  a  supernatural  event  that  a 
young  lady,  who  was  told  by  an  aged  negress 
•that  she  would  be  a  queen,  happened  actually 
to  become  one. 

We  have  alluded  to  a  contemplated  match 
between  Josephine  and  the  son  of  a  neighbor- 
ing planter.  An  English  family,  who  had  lost 
property  and  rank  in  the  convulsions  of  those 
times,  had  sought  a  retreat  in  the  island  of  Mar- 
tinique, and  were  cultivating  an  adjoining  plan- 
tation. In  this  family  there  was  a  very  pleas- 
ant lad,  a  son,  of  nearly  the  same  age  with  Jo- 
sephine. The  plantations  being  new  to  each 
other,  they  were  often  companions  and  play- 
mates. A  strong  attachment  grew  up  between 


JOSEPHINE,          [A.D.  1775 


Attachment  between  Jogephini  and  WUUam.  Tfcolr  ieparaUon 

them.  The  parents  of  William,  and  the  unol« 
and  aunt  of  Josephine,  approved  cordially  of  this 
attachment;  and  were  desirous  that  these  youth- 
Sal  hearts  should  be  united,  as  soon  as  the  parties 
should  arrive  at  mature  age.  Josephine,  in  the 
ingenuous  artlessness  of  her  nature,  disguised 
not  in  the  least  her  strong  affection  for  William. 
And  his  attachment  to  her  was  deep  and  endur- 
ing. The  solitude  of  their  lives  peculiarly  tend- 
ed to  promote  fervor  of  character. 

Matters  were  in  this  state,  when  the  father  of 
William  received  an  intimation  from  England 
that,  by  returning  to  his  own  country,  he  might, 
perhaps,  regain  his  lost  estates.  He  immedi- 
ately prepared  to  leave  the  island  with  his  fam- 
ily. The  separation  was  a  severe  blow  to  these 
youthful  lovers.  They  wept,  and  vowed  eternal 
fidelity. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  Josephine  should 
have  been  in  some  degree  superstitious.  The 
peculiarity  of  her  life  upon  the  plantation  —  her 
constant  converse  with  the  negroes,  whose  minda 
were  imbued  with  all  the  superstitious  notions 
which  they  had  brought  from  Africa,  united 
with  those  which  they  had  found  upon  the  isl- 
and, tended  to  foster  those  feelings.  Rousseau, 
the  most  popular  and  universally-read  French 


A.D.  1774.J  LIFE  IN  MARTINIQUE  29 

RoMeau  throwing  itone*.  Josephioe'i  inperstitloa 

writer  of  that  day,  in  his  celebrated  "Confes- 
sions," records  with  perfect  composure  that  h« 
was  one  day  sitting  in  a  grove,  meditating 
whether  his  soul  would  probably  be  saved  01 
lost.  He  felt  that  the  question  was  of  the  ut- 
most importance.  How  could  he  escape  from 
the  uncertainty !  A  supernatural  voice  seemed 
to  suggest  an  appeal  to  a  singular  kind  of  au- 
gury. "  I  will,"  said  he,  "  throw  this  stone  at 
that  tree.  If  I  hit  the  tree,  it  shall  be  a  sign 
that  my  soul  is  to  be  saved.  If  I  miss  it,  it 
shall  indicate  that  I  am  to  be  lost."  He  select- 
ed a  large  tree,  took  the  precaution  of  getting 
very  near  to  it,  and  threw  his  stone  plump 
against  the  trunk.  "  After  that,"  says  the 
philosopher,  "I  never  again  had  a  doubt  re- 
specting my  salvation." 

Josephine  resorted  to  the  same  kind  of  au- 
gury to  ascertain  if  William,  who  had  become 
a  student  in  the  University  at  Oxford,  still  re- 
mained faithful  to  her.  She  not  unfr6quently 
attempted  to  beguile  a  weary  hour  in  throwing 
pebbles  at  tne  trees,  that  she  might  divine 
whether  William  were  then  thinking  of  her 
Months,  however,  passed  away,  and  she  re- 
ceived no  tidings  from  him.  Though  she  had 
often  written,  her  letters  remained  unanswered 


80  JOSEPHINE  [A.D.  1775 

Deception  of  friend*.  Mutual  fidelity 

Her  feelings  were  the  more  deeply  wounded, 
since  there  were  other  friends  upon  the  island 
with  whom  he  kept  up  a  correspondence ;  but 
Josephine  never  received  even  a  message  through 
them. 

One  day,  as  she  was  pensively  rambling  hi  a 
£rove,  where  she  had  often  walked  with  her  ab- 
**ent  lover,  she  found  carved  upon  a  tree  the 
names  of  William .  and  Josephine.  She  knew 
well  by  whose  hand  they  had  been  cut,  and,  en- 
tirely overcome  with  emotion,  she  sat  down  and 
wept  bitterly.  With  the  point  of  a  knife,  and 
with  a  trembling  hand,  she  inscribed  in  the  bark 
these  words,  peculiarly  characteristic  of  her 
depth  of  feeling,  and  of  the  gentleness  of  hei 
spirit :  "  Unhappy  William  !  thou  hast  forgot- 
ten me !" 

William,  however,  had  not  forgotten  her. 
\gain  and  again  he  had  written  in  terms  of 
the  most  ardent  affection.  But  the  friends  of 
Josephine,  meeting  with  an  opportunity  for  • 
•natch  for  her  which  they  deemed  far  more  ad  < 
vantageons,  had  destroyed  these  communica 
tions,  and  also  had  prevented  any  of  her  letters 
from  reaching  the  hand  of  William.  Thus  each , 
while  cherishing  the  truest  affection,  deemed  the 
other  faithless. 


A.D.  1775.J  MARRIAGE  OF  JOSEPHINE.  31 

AleuBder  de  Re*uh*nutU.  illt  dkaraotw 


CHAPTER  II. 
THE   MARRIAGE   OP   JOSEPHINE. 

|"OSEPHINE  was  about  fourteen  years  of 
**  age  when  she  was  separated  from  William 
A  year  passed  away,  during  which  she  received 
not  a  line  from  her  absent  friend.  About  this 
time  a  gentleman  from  France  visited  her  uncle 
upon  business  of  great  importance.  Viscount 
Alexander  de  Beauharnais  was  a  fashionable 
and  gallant  young  man,  about  thirty  years  of 
age,  possessing  much  conversational  ease  and 
grace  of  manner,  and  accustomed  to  the  most 
polished  society  of  the  French  metropolis.  He 
held  a  commission  in  the  army,  and  had  already 
signalized  himself  by  several  acts  of  bravery. 
His  sympathies  had  been  strongly  aroused  by 
the  struggle  of  the  American  colonists  with  the 
mother  country,  and  he  had  already  aided  th« 
colonists  both  with  his  sword  and  his  purse. 

Several  large  and  valuable  estates  in  Mar- 
tinique, adjoining  the  plantation  of  M.  Renau- 
iin,  had  fallen  by  inheritance  to  this  young  offi- 
cer and  his  brother,  the  Marqui«  of  Beauhar- 


32  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  17V6 

A  new  roitor.  Motive*  for  the  raarrim^e 

nais.  He  visited  Martinique  to  secure  the  proof 
of  his  title  to  these  estates.  M.  Renaudin  held 
some  of  these  plantations  on  lease.  In  the 
transaction  of  this  business,  Beauharnais  spent 
much  time  at  the  mansion  of  M.  Renaudin. 
He,  of  course,  saw  much  of  the  beautiful  Jo- 
sephine, and  was  fascinated  with  her  grace,  and 
ner  mental  and  physical  loveliness. 

The  uncle  and  aunt  of  Josephine  were  delight- 
ed to  perceive  the  interest  which  their  niece  had 
awakened  in  the  bosom  of  the  interesting  stran- 
ger. His  graceful  figure,  his  accomplished  per- 
son, his  military  celebrity,  his  social  rank,  and 
his  large  fortune,  all  conspired  to  dazzle  their 
eyes,  and  to  lead  them  to  do  every  thing  in  then- 
power  to  promote  a  match  apparently  so  eligi- 
ble. The  ambition  of  M.  Renaudin  was  moved 
at  the  thought  of  conferring  upon  his  niece,  the 
prospective  heiress  of  his  own  fortune,  an  estate 
so  magnificent  as  the  united  inheritance.  Jose- 
phine, however,  had  not  yet  forgotten  William, 
and,  though  interested  in  her  uncle's  guest,  for 
•ome  time  allowed  no  emotion  of  love  to  flow  out 
toward  him. 

One  morning  Josephine  was  sitting  in  the 
library  in  pensive  musings,  when  her  uncle  came 
Into  the  room  to  open  to  her  the  subject  of  her 


A.D.J775.]  MARRIAGE  OF  JOSEPHINE    3j 

Hie  announcement  Feelings  of  Josephine 

contemplated  marriage  with  M.  Beauharnais. 
Josephine  was  thunderstruck  at  the  communi- 
cation,  for,  according  to  the  invariable  custom 
of  the  times,  she  knew  that  she  aould  have  but 
little  voice  in  the  choice  of  a  partner  for  life. 
For  a  short  time  she  listened  in  silence  to  his 
proposals,  and  then  said,  ^rith  tears  in  her  eyes, 

"  Dear  uncle,  I  implore  you  to  remember  that 
my  affections  are  fixed  upon  William.  I  have 
been  solemnly  promised  to  him." 

"  That  is  utterly  impossible,  my  child,"  her 
uncle  replied.  "Circumstances  are  changed. 
All  our  hopes  are  centered  in  you.  You  must 
obey  our  wishes." 

"And  why,"  said  she,  "have  you  changed 
your  intentions  in  reference  to  William  ?" 

Her  uncle  replied :  "  You  will  receive  by  in- 
neritance  all  my  estate.  M.  Beauharnais  pos- 
sesses the  rich  estates  adjoining.  Your  union 
unites  the  property.  M.  Beauharnais  is  ev- 
ery thing  which  can  be  desired  in  a  husband 
Besides,  William  appears  to  have  foi»gotten 
you." 

To  this  last  remark  Josephine  could  make 

no  reply.     She  looked  sadly  upon  the  floor  and 

was  silent.     It  is  said  that  her  uncle  had  then 

li  his  possession  several  letters  which  William 

19—3 


34  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D  1775 

Zeal  of  M.  Rrauharuais.  The  engagement 

had  written  her,  replete  with  the  most  earnest 
spirit  of  constancy  and  affection. 

Josephine,  but  fifteen  years  of  age,  could  not, 
Binder  these  circumstances,  resist  the  influences 
BOW  brought  tc  bear  upon  her.  M.  Beauhar- 
tais  was  a  gentleman  of  fascinating  accomplish- 
ments The  reluctance  of  Josephine  to  become 
his  bride  but  stimulated  his  zeal  to  obtain  her. 
In  the  seclusion  of  the  plantation,  and  far  re- 
moved from  other  society,  she  was  necessarily 
with  him  nearly  at  all  hours.  They  read  to 
gether,  rode  on  horseback  side  by  side,  rambled 
in  the  groves  in  pleasant  companionship.  They 
floated  by  moonlight  upon  the  water,  breathing 
the  balmy  air  of  that  delicious  clime,  and  unit- 
ing their  voices  in  song,  the  measure  being 
timed  with  the  dipping  of  the  oars  by  the  ne- 
groes. The  friends  of  Josephine  were  importu- 
nate for  the  match.  At  last,  reluctantly  she 
gave  her  consent.  Having  done  this,  she  al 
lowed  her  affections,  unrestrained,  to  repos« 
upon  her  betrothed.  Though  her  Heart  still 
clung  to  William,  she  thought  that  he  had  found 
other  friends  in  England,  in  whose  pleasant  com- 
panionship he  had  lost  all  remembrance  of  the 
island  maiden  who  had  won  his  early  love. 
Alexander  Beauharnais,  soon  after  his  en- 


AJD.  1775.]  MARRIAGE  OF  JOSEPHINE.  35 

Departure  from  Martinique.  Parting  scene* 

gagement  to  Josephine,  embarked  for  Franca 
Arrangements  had  been  made  for  Josephine,  in 
the  course  of  a  few  months,  to  follow  him,  upon 
a  visit  to  a  relative  in  Paris,  and  there  the  nup- 
tials were  to  be  consummated.  Josephine  was 
now  fifteen  years  of  age.  She  was  attached 
to  Beauharnais,  but  not  with  that  fervor  of  feel- 
ing which  had  previously  agitated  her  heart. 
She  often  thought  of  William  and  spoke  of  him, 
and  at  times  had  misgivings  lest  there  might 
be  some  explanation  of  his  silence.  But  months 
had  passed  on,  and  she  had  received  no  letter  or 
message  from  him- 

At  length  the  hour  for  her  departure  from  the 
island  arrived.  With  tearful  eyes  and  a  sad- 
dened heart  she  left  the  land  of  her  birth,  ana 
the  scenes  endeared  to  her  by  all  the  recollec- 
tions of  childhood.  Groups  of  negroes,  from 
the  tottering  infant  to  the  aged  man  of  gray 
hairs,  surrounded  her  with  weeping  and  loud 
lamentation.  Josephine  hastened  on  board,  the 
ship  got  under  way,  and  soon  the  island  of 
Martinique  disappeared  beneath  the  watery  hor 
izon.  Josephine  sat  upon  the  deck  in  perfect 
silence,  watching  the  dim  outline  of  her  beloved 
home  till  it  was  lost  to  sight.  Her  young  heart 
was  full  of  anxiety,  of  tenderness,  and  of  regret* 


56  JOSEPHINE.          jA.D.  1775 


•rwephlne'i  arrival  In  France.  Her  Interview  with  WllUanv 

Little,  however,  could  she  imagine  the  career 
of  strange  vicissitudes  upon  which  she  was 
about  to  enter. 

The  voyage  was  long  and  tempestuous. 
Ktorms  pursued  them  all  the  way.  At  one 
time  the  ship  was  dismasted  and  came  near 
foundering.  At  length  the  welcome  cry  of 
"  Land"  was  heard,  and  Josephine,  an  unknown 
orphan  child  of  fifteen,  placed  her  feet  upon  the 
shores  of  France,  that  country  over  which  she 
was  soon  to  reign  the  most  renowned  empress. 
She  hastened  to  Fontainebleau,  and  was  there 
met  by  Alexander  Beauharnais.  He  received 
her  with  great  fondness,  and  was  assiduous  in 
bestowing  upon  her  the  most  flattering  atten 
tions.  But  Josephine  had  hardly  arrived  at  Fon- 
tainebleau before  she  heard  that  William  and 
his  father  were  also  residing  at  that  place.  Her 
whole  frame  trembled  like  an  aspen  leaf,  and 
her  heart  sunk  within  her  as  she  received  the 
intelligence.  All  her  long-cherished  affection 
for  the  companion  of  her  childhood  was  revived , 
and  still  she  knew  not  but  that  William  was 
faithless.  He,  however,  immediately  called, 
with  his  father,  to  see  her.  The  interview  was 
most  embarrassing,  for  each  loved  the  other  in* 
tensely,  and  each  had  reason  to  belie\e  that  th» 


AJD.  1775.]  MARRIAGE  OF  JOSEPHINE.  37 

Explanation  of  William.  Distress  of  Josephine, 

other  had  proved  untrue.  The  next  day  Will- 
iam called  alone ;  Josephine,  the  betrothed  bride 
of  Beauharnais,  prudently  deolined  seeing  him. 
He  then  wrote  her  a  letter,  which  he  bribed  a 
servant  to  place  in  her  hands,  full  of  protest* 
tions  of  love,  stating  how  he  had  written  to  her, 
and  passionately  inquiring  why  she  turned  so 
coldly  from  him. 

Josephine  read  the  letter  with  a  bursting 
heart.  She  now  saw  how  she  had  been  de- 
ceived. She  now  was  convinced  that  William 
had  proved  faithful  to  her,  notwithstanding  he 
had  so  much  reason  to  believe  that  she  had  been 
untrue  to  him.  But  what  could  she  do  ?  She 
was  but  fifteen  years  of  age.  She  was  sur- 
rounded only  by  those  who  were  determined 
that  she  should  marry  Alexander  Beauharnais. 
She  was  told  that  the  friends  of  William  had 
decided  unalterably  that  he  should  marry  an 
English  heiress,  and  that  the  fortunes  of  his 
lather's  family  were  dependent  upon  that  alii- 
mnoe.  The  servant  who  had  been  the  bearer 
of  William's  epistle  was  dismissed,  and  the 
other  servants  were  commanded  not  to  allo^ 
him  to  enter  the  house. 

The  agitation  of  Josephine's  heart  was  suoh 
that  for  some  time  she  was  unable  to  leave  he? 


8b  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  177& 


Jujwtphine  retires  to  »  convent     She  marries  the  Viscount  BeauhamaU 

bed.  She  entreated  her  friends  to  allow  her  for 
a  few  months  to  retire  to  a  convent,  that  she 
might,  in  solitary  thought  and  prayer,  regain 
composure.  Her  friends  consented  to  this  ar- 
rangement, and  she  took  refuge  in  the  convent 
at  Panthemont.  Here  she  spent  a  few  months 
in  inexpressible  gloom.  William  made  many 
unavailing  efforts  to  obtain  an  interview,  and 
at  last,  in  despair,  reluctantly  received  the 
wealthy  bride,  through  whom  he  secured  an 
immense  inheritance,  and  with  whom  he  passed 
an  unloving  life. 

The  Viscount  Beauharnais  often  called  to  see 
her,  and  was  permitted  to  converse  with  her  at 
the  gate  of  her  window.  In  the  simplicity  of 
her  heart,  she  told  her  friends  at  the  convent 
of  her  attachment  for  William ;  how  they  had 
been  reared  together,  and  how  they  had  loved 
from  childhood.  She  felt  that  it  was  a  cruel 
fate  which  separated  them,  but  a  fate  before 
which  each  must  inevitably  bow.  At  last  she 
calmly  made  up  her  mind  to  comply  with  the 
wishes  of  her  friends,  and  to  surrender  herself 
to  the  Viscount  Beauharnais.  There  was  much 
in  the  person  and  character  of  Beauharnais  to 
render  him  very  attractive,  and  she  soon  be- 
came sincerely,  though  never  oassionately,  at- 
tached to  bin 


O).  1777.]  MARRIAGE  OF  JOSEPHINE.   39 

PtehioEable  life.  Josephine  U  introduced  at  court 

Josephine  was  sixteen  years  of  age  when  she 
was  married.  Her  social  position  was  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  expensive  and  fashionable  so- 
ciety of  Paris.  She  was  immediately  involved 
in  all  the  excitements  of  parties,  and  balls, 
and  gorgeous  entertainments.  Her  beauty,  her 
grace,  her  amiability,  and  her  peculiarly  musi- 
cal voice,  which  fell  like  a  charm  upon  every  ear, 
excited  great  admiration  and  not  a  little  «nvy. 
It  was  a  dangerous  scene  into  which  to  intro- 
duce the  artless  and  inexperienced  Creole  girl, 
and  she  was  not  a  little  dazzled  by  the  splen- 
dor with  which  she  was  surrounded.  Every 
thing  that  could  minister  to  convenience,  or 
that  could  gratify  taste,  was  lavished  profusely 
around  her.  For  a  time  she  was  bewildered  by 
the  novelty  of  her  situation.  But  soon  she  be- 
came weary  of  the  heartless  pageantry  of  fash- 
ionable Me,  and  sighed  for  the  tranquil  enjoy- 
ments of  her  island  home. 

Her  husband,  proud  of  her  beauty  and  ac- 
complishments, introduced  her  at  court.  Maria 
Antoinette,  who  had  then  just  ascended  the 
throne,  and  was  in  the  brilliance  of  her  youth, 
and  beauty,  and  early  popularity,  was  charmed 
with  the  West  Indian  bride,  and  received  her 
without  the  formality  of  a  public  presentation 


40  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  177J3 

Maria  Antoinette  and  Josephine.  French  philosophy 

When  these  two  young  brides  met  in  the  regal 
palace  of  Versailles — the  one  a  daughter  of  Ma* 
ria  Theresa  and  a  descendant  of  the  Csesars, 
who  had  come  from  the  court  of  Austria  tc  be 
not  only  the  queen,  but  the  brightest  ornament 
tf  the  court  of  France — the  other  the  child  of 
a  planter,  born  upon  an  obscure  island,  reared 
in  the  midst  of  negresses,  as  almost  her  only 
companions — little  did  they  imagine  that  Maria 
Antoinette  was  to  go  down,  down,  down  to  the 
lowest  state  of  ignominy  and  wo,  while  Jose- 
phine was  to  ascend  to  more  and  more  exalted 
stations,  until  she  should  sit  upon  a  throne  more 
glorious  than  the  Caesars  ever  knew. 

French  philosophy  had  at  this  time  under- 
mined the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  All  that  is 
sacred  in  the  domestic  relations  was  withering 
beneath  the  blight  of  infidelity.  Beauharnais, 
a  man  of  fashion  and  of  the  world,  had  imbibed, 
to  the  full,  the  sentiments  which  disgraced  the 
age.  Marriage  was  deemed  a  partnership,  to 
be  formed  or  dissolved  at  pleasure.  Fidelity  to 
the  nuptial  tie  was  the  jest  of  philosophers  and 
witlings.  Josephine  had  soon  the  mortification 
of  seeing  a  proud,  beautiful,  aud  artful  woman 
taking  her  place,  and  openly  and  triumphantly 
claiming  the  attentions  and  tho  affections  of  hef 


A..D.  1780.)  MARRIAGE  OF  JOSEPHINE    41 

Birth  of  B  daughter.  Infidelity  of  Beauharnaif 

husband.  This  woman,  high  in  rank,  loved  tx 
torture  her  poor  victim.  "  Your  dear  Alexan- 
der," she  said  to  Josephine,  "  daily  lavishes  upon 
others  the  tribute  of  attachment  which  you  think 
he  reserves  solely  for  you."  She  could  not  bear 
to  see  the  beautiful  and  virtuous  Josephine 
nappy,  as  the  honored  wife  of  her  guilty  lover, 
and  she  resolved,  if  possible,  to  sow  the  seeds 
of  jealousy  so  effectually  between  them  as  to 
secure  a  separation. 

In  the  year  1780  Josephine  gave  birth  to  fiei 
daughter  Hortense.  This  event  seemed  for  a 
time  to  draw  back  the  wandering  affections  of 
Beauharnais.  He  was  really  proud  of  his  wife. 
He  admired  her  beauty  and  her  grace.  He 
doted  upon  his  infant  daughter.  But  he  was 
an  infidel.  He  recognized  no  law  of  God,  com- 
manding purity  of  heart  and  life,  and  he  con* 
tended  that  Josephine  had  no  right  to  complain, 
as  long  as  he  treated  her  kindly,  if  he  did  in- 
dulge in  the  waywardness  of  passion. 

The  path  of  Josephine  was  now,  indeed, 
shrouded  in  gloom,  and  each  day  seemed  to 
grow  darker  and  darker.  Hortense  became  her 
idol  and  her  on'/  comfort  Her  husband  lav- 
ished upon  her  those  luxuries  which  his  wealth 
enabled  him  to  grant.  He  was  kind  to  her  in 


42  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1780 

Birth  of  •  ton.  An  arch  deceWet 

words  and  in  all  the  ordinary  courtesies  of  in- 
tercourse. But  Josephine's  heart  was  well-nigh 
broken.  A  few  years  of  conflict  passed  slowly 
away,  when  she  gave  birth,  in  the  year  1783, 
to  her  son  Eugene.  In  the  society  of  her  chil- 
dren the  unhappy  mother  found  now  her  only 
solace. 

While  the  Viscount  Beauharnais  was  ready 
iff  defend  his  own  conduct,  he  was  by  no  means 
willing  that  his  wife  should  govern  herself  by 
the  same  principles  of  fashionable  philosophy. 
The  code  infidel  is  got  up  for  the  especial  ben- 
efit of  dissolute  men  ;  their  wives  must  be  gov- 
erned by  another  code.  The  artful  woman, 
who  was  the  prime  agent  in  these  difficulties, 
affected  great  sympathy  with  Josephine  in  her 
sorrows,  protested  her  own  entire  innocence, 
but  assured  her  that  M.  Beauharnais  was  an  in. 
^rate,  entirely  unworthy  of  her  affections.  She 
deceived  Josephine,  hoarded  up  the  confidence 
of  her  stricken  heart,  and  conversed  with  her 
about  William,  the  memory  of  whose  faithful 
love  now  came  with  new  freshness  to  the  dis- 
consolate wife. 

Josephine,  lured  by  her,  wrote  a  letter  to  her 
frienis  in  Martinique,  in  which  she  imprudently 
,  "Were  it  not  for  my  children,  I  should 


A..D.  1783.]'  MARRIAGE  OF  JOSEPHINE.  42 

Josephine  betrayed.  Application  for  a  divorce 

without  a  pang,  renounce  France  forever.  My 
duty  requires  me  to  forget  William  ;  and  yet 
if  we  had  been  united  together,  I  should  not  to- 
day have  been  troubling  you  with  my  griefs." 
The  woman  who  instigated  her  to  write  this 
letter  was  infamous  enough  to  obtain  it  by 
stealth  and  show  it  to  Beauharnais.  His  jeal- 
ousy and  indignation  were  immediately  aroused 
to  the  highest  pitch.  He  was  led  by  this  ma- 
licious deceiver  to  believe  that  Josephine  had 
obtained  secret  interviews  with  William,  and 
the  notoriously  unfaithful  husband  was  exas- 
perated to  the  highest  degree  at  the  very  sus- 
picion of  the  want  of  fidelity  in  his  wife.  He 
reproached  her  in  language  of  the  utmost  se- 
verity, took  Eugene  from  her,  and  resolved  to 
endeavor,  by  legal  process,  to  obtain  an  entire 
divorce.  She  implored  him,  for  the  sake  of  he* 
children,  not  to  proclaim  their  difficulties  to  the 
world.  He,  however,  reckless  of  consequences, 
made  application  to  the  courts  for  the  annul- 
ment of  the  matrimonial  bond.  Josephine  was 
now  compelled  to  defend  her  own  character. 
She  again  retired  with  Hortense  to  the  convent, 
and  there,  through  dreary  months  d  solitude, 
and  silence,  and  dejection,  awaited  the  result  of 
the  trial  noon  which  her  reputation  as  a  vir 


44  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1784 

Josephine  triumphant.  Visit  to  Venaille* 

tuous  woman  was  staked.  The  decree  of  the 
court  was  triumphantly  in  her  favor,  and  Jo- 
sephine  returned  to  her  friends  to  receive  theii 
congratulations,  but  impressed  with  the  oonrio* 
tion  that  earth  had  no  longer  a  joy  in  store  foi 
her.  Her  friends  did  all  in  their  power  to  cheer 
her  desponding  spirit ;  but  the  wound  she  had 
received  was  too  deep  to  be  speedily  healed. 
One  day  her  friends,  to  divert  her  mind  from 
brooding  over  irreparable  sorrows,  took  her,  al- 
most by  violence,  to  Versailles.  They  passed 
over  the  enchanting  grounds,  and  through  the 
gorgeously-furnished  apartments  of  the  Great 
and  Little  Trianon,  the  favorite  haunts  of  Ma- 
ria Antoinette.  Here  the  beautiful  Queen  of 
France  was  accustomed  to  lay  aside  the  pa- 
geantry of  royalty,  and  to  enjoy,  without  re- 
straint, the  society  of  those  who  were  dear  to 
her,  Days  of  darkness  and  trouble  had  already 
begun  to  darken  around  her  path.  As  Jose- 
phine was  looking  at  some  of  the  works  of  art, 
she  was  greatly  surprised  at  the  entrance  of  the 
queen,  surrounded  by  several  ladies  of  her  court. 
Maria  Antoinette  immediately  recognized  Jo- 
sephine, and  with  that  air  of  affability  and  kind- 
ness which  ever  characterized  her  conduct,  she 
approached  her,  and,  with  one  of  her  winning 


A.D.  1784.]  MARXIAGE  OK  JOSEPHINE    45 

Interview  with  Maria  Antoinette.  Kindness  of  the  queen 

smiles,  said,  "  Madame  Beauharnais,  I  am  very 
happy  to  see  you  at  the  two  Trianons.  You 
well  know  how  to  appreciate  their  beauties.  I 
should  be  much  pleased  to  learn  what  objects 
you  consider  most  interesting.  I  shall  always 
receive  you  with  pleasure." 

These  words  from  the  queen  were  an  un- 
speakable solace  to  Josephine.  Her  afflicted 
heart  needed  the  consolation.  The  queen  was 
acquainted  with  her  trials,  and  thus  nobly  as- 
sured her  of  her  sympathy  and  her  confidence. 
In  a  few  days  Maria  Antoinette  invited  Jose- 
phine to  a  private  interview.  She  addressed 
her  in  words  of  the  utmost  kindness,  promised 
to  watch  over  the  interests  of  her  son,  and  at 
the  same  time,  as  a  mark  of  her  especial  regard, 
she  took  from  her  neck  an  antique  ornament  of 
precious  stones,  and  passed  it  over  the  neck  of 
Josephine.  The  king  also  himself  came  in  at 
the  interview,  for  his  heart  had  been  softened 
by  sorrow,  and  addressed  words  of  consolation 
to  the  injured  and  discarded  wife. 

Josephine  now  received  letters  from  Marti- 
nique earnestly  entreating  her  to  return,  with 
her  children,  to  the  home  of  her  childhood. 
World-weary,  she  immediately  resolved  to  ac- 
cept tha  invitation.  But  the  thought  of  erooa- 


46  JOSEPH  NE.          [A.D.  1784 

/rxephlne  embarki  for  Martinique.  Hours  of  despondency 

ing  the  wide  ocean,  and  leaving  her  son  Eugene 
behind,  was  a  severe  pang  to  a  mother's  heart. 
Eugene  had  been  taken  from  her  and  sent  to  a 
hoarding-school.  Josephine  felt  so  deeply  the 
pang  of  separation  from  her  beloved  child,  that 
she  obtained  an  interview  with  M.  Beauharnais, 
and  implored  him  to  allow  her  to  take  Eugene 
with  her.  He  gave  a  cold  and  positive  refusal. 
A  few  days  after  this,  Josephine,  cruelly  sep- 
arated from  her  husband  and  bereayed  of  her 
son,  embarked  with  Hor tense  for  Martinique. 
She  strove  to  maintain  that  aspect  of  cheerful- 
ness and  of  dignity  which  an  injured  but  inno- 
cent woman  is  entitled  to  exhibit.  When  dark 
hours  of  despondency  overshadowed  her,  she 
tried  to  console  herself  with  the  beautiful  thought 
of  Plautus :  "  If  we  support  adversity  with  cour- 
age, we  shall  have  a  keener  relish  for  returning 
prosperity."  It  does  not  appear  that  she  had 
any  refuge  in  the  consolations  of  religion.  She 
had  a  vague  and  general  idea  of  the  goodness 
of  a  superintending  Providence,  but  she  was 
apparently  a  stranger  to  those  warm  and  glow- 
ing revelations  of  Christianity  which  introduce 
us  to  a  sympathizing  Savior,  a  guiding  and  con- 
soling Spirit,  a  loving  and  forgiving  Father 
Could  she  then,  by  faith,  have  reposed  her  ach- 


A.D.  1785.]  MARRIAGE  OF  JOSEPHINE.    47 

Josephine  arrire*  at  Martinique.  Her  ktd  reception. 

ing  head  upon  the  bosom  of  her  heavenly  Fa- 
ther, she  might  have  found  a  solace  such  as 
nothing  else  could  confer.  But  at  this  time 
nearly  every  mind  in  France  was  more  or  less 
iarkened  by  the  glooms  of  infidelity. 

The  winds  soon  "drove  her  frail  bark  across 
the  Atlantic,  and  Josephine,  pale  and  sorrow- 
stricken,  was  clasped  in  the  arms  and  folded  to 
the  hearts  of  those  who  truly  loved  her.  The 
affectionate  negroes  gathered  around  her,  with 
loud  demonstrations  of  their  sympathy  and  their 
joy  in  again  meeting  their  mistress.  Here, 
amid  the  quiet  scenes  endeared  to  her  by  the 
recollections  of  childhood,  she  found  a  tempo- 
rary respite  from  those  storms  by  which  she 
had  been  so  severely  tossed  upon  life's  wild  and 
tempestuous  ocean 


48  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D  17H6 

S*div»i  of  Josephine  DUtipatiOn  of  Beauharnak 


CHAPTER   III. 
4.RRE6T  OF  M.  BEAUHARNAIS  AND  Josi 

PHINE. 

TOSEPHINE  remained  in  Martinique  three 
**  years.  She  passed  her  time  in  tranquil  sad- 
ness, engaged  in  reading,  in  educating  Hortense, 
and  in  unwearied  acts  of  kindness  to  those  around 
her.  Like  all  noble  minds,  she  had  a  great  fond- 
ness for  the  beauties  of  nature.  The  luxuriant 
groves  of  the  tropics,  the  serene  skies  which 
overarched  her  head,  the  gentle  zep!  yts  which 
breathed  through  orange  groves,  all  were  con- 
genial with  her  pensive  spirit.  The  thoughi 
of  Eugene,  her  beautiful  boy,  so  far  from  her, 
preyed  deeply  upon  her  heart.  Often  she  re- 
tired alone  to  some  of  those  lonely  walks  which 
•he  loved  so  well,  and  wept  over  her  alienated 
husband  and  her  lost  child. 

M.  Beauharnais  surrendered  himself  for  a 
time,  without  restraint,  to  every  indulgence. 
He  tried,  in  the  society  of  sin  and  shame,  to 
forget  his  wife  and  his  absent  daughter.  He, 
however,  soon  found  that  no  friend  can  take  the 
plaoe  of  a  virtuous  and  an  affectionate  wife 


A..D.1786]  ARREST  OF  BEAUHARNA.S.  49 

Repentance  of  BeauharnaU.  Josephine  return!  to  Franc* 

The  memory  of  Josephine's  gentleness,  and  ten- 
derness, and  love  came  flooding  back  upon  his 
haart.  He  became  fully  convinced  of  his  in- 
justice to  her,  and  earnestly  desired  to  have 
her  restored  again  to  him  and  to  his  home.  He 
sent  communications  to  Josephine,  expressive 
of  his  deep  regret  for  the  past,  promising  amend- 
ment for  the  future,  assuring  her  of  his  high 
appreciation  of  her  elevated  and  honorable  char 
acter,  and  imploring  her  to  return  with  Hor- 
tens<s  thus  to  reunite  the  divided  and  sorrow- 
stricken  household.  It  was  indeed  a  gratifica- 
tion to  Josephine  to  receive  from  her  husband 
the  acknowledgment  that  she  had  never  ceased 
to  deserve  his  confidence.  The  thought  of  again 
pressing  Eugene  to  her  bosom  filled  a  mother's 
heart  with  rapture.  Still,  the  griefs  which  had 
weighed  upon  her  were  so  heavy,  that  she  con- 
fessed to  her  friends  that,  were  it  not  for  the 
love  which  she  bore  Eugene,  she  would  greatly 
prefer  to  spend  the  remnant  of  her  days  npoi» 
her  favorite  island.  Her  friends  did  every  thing 
in  their  power  to  dissuade  her  from  leaving 
Martinique.  But  a  mother's  undying  love  tri- 
umphed, and  again  she  embarked  for  France. 
In  subsequent  years,  when  surrounded  by 
all  the  splendors  of  royalty,  she  related  to  some 
19—4 


60  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.1786 

Tba  Jewel*.  AMO&MB  of  the  old  show 

of  the  ladies  of  her  court,  with  that  unaffected 
simplicity  which  ever  marked  her  character, 
the  following  incident,  which  occurred  during 
this  voyage.  The  ladies  were  admiring  some 
brilliant  jewels  which  were  spread  out  before 
them.  Josephine  said  to  them,  "  My  young 
friends,  believe  me,  splendor  does  not  consti- 
tute happiness.  I  at  one  time  received  greater 
enjoyment  from  the  gift  of  a  pair  of  old  shoes 
than  all  these  diamonds  have  ever  afforded  me." 
The  curiosity  of  her  auditors  was,  of  course, 
greatly  excited,  and  they  entreated  her  to  ex- 
plain her  meaning. 

"  Yes,  young  ladies,"  Josephine  continued, 
"of  all  the  presents  I  ever  received,  the  one 
which  gave  me  the  greatest  pleasure  was  a  pair 
of  old  shoes,  and  those,  too,  of  coarse  leather 
When  I  last  returned  to  France  from  Marti- 
nique, having  separated  from  my  first  husband 
I  was  far  from  rich.     The  passage-money  e: 
hausted  my  resources,  and  it  was  not  witho 
difficulty  that  I  obtained  the  indispensable  re- 
quisite? for  our  voyage.     Hortense,  obliging  and 
tivelj  performing  with  much  agility  the  dances 
of  the  negroes,  and  singing  their  songs  with 
surprising  correctness,  greatly  amused  the  sail- 
ors, who,  from  being  her  constant  play-fellows, 


A..D.  1786.1  ARREST  OP  BEAUHARNAIS    51 

ffertence  without  »tioe».  The  kind  old  tailor 

had  become  her  favorite  society.  An  old  sailot 
became  particularly  attached  to  the  child,  and 
she  doted  upon  the  old  man.  What  with  run- 
ling,  leaping,  and  walking,  my  daughter's  slight 
shoes  were  fairly  worn  out.  Knowing  that  she 
had  not  another  pair,  and  fearing  I  would  for- 
bid  her  going  upon  deck,  should  this  defect  in 
her  attire  be  discovered,  Hortense  carefully  con* 
cealed  the  disaster.  One  day  I  experienced  the 
distress  of  seeing  her  return  from  the  deck  leav- 
ing every  foot-mark  in  blood.  When  examin- 
ing how  matters  stood,  I  found  her  shoes  lit- 
erally in  tatters,  and  her  feet  dreadfully  torn  by 
a  nail.  We  were  as  yet  not  more  than  half 
way  across  the  ocean,  and  it  seemed  impossible 
to  procure  another  pair  of  shoes.  I  felt  quite 
overcome  at  the  idea  of  the  sorrow  my  poor  Hor- 
tense would  suffer,  as  also  at  the  danger  to  which 
her  health  might  be  exposed  by  confinement  in 
my  miserable  little  cabin.  At  this  moment  our 
good  friend,  the  old  sailor,  entered  and  inquired 
the  cause  of  our  distress.  Hortense,  sobbing 
•11  the  while,  eagerly  informed  him  that  she 
oonld  no  more  go  upon  deck,  for  her  shoes  were 
worn  out,  and  mamma  had  no  others  to  give 
her.  '  Nonsense,'  said  the  worthy  seaman,  '  ia 
that  all  ?  I  have  an  old  pair  somewhere  in  mv 


62  JOSEPHINE.          [A  D.  1786 

The  fhoet  made.  Evantfol  Ufa  of  HortekM. 

chest ;  I  will  go  and  seek  them.  You,  madam 
can  out  them  to  shape,  and  I  will  splice  them 
np  as  well  as  need  be.'  Without  waiting  for  a 
reply,  away  hastened  the  kind  sailor  in  search 
of  his  old  shoes ;  these  he  soon  after  brought  to 
us  with  a  triumphant  air,  and  they  were  re- 
ceived by  Hortense  with  demonstrations  of  the 
most  lively  joy.  We  set  to  work  with  all  zeal, 
and  before  the  day  closed  my  daughter  could 
resume  her  delightful  duties  of  supplying  their 
evening's  diversion  to  the  crew.  I  again  repeat, 
never  was  present  received  with  greater  thank- 
fulness. It  has  since  often  been  matter  of  self- 
reproach  that  I  did  not  particularly  inquire  into 
the  name  and  history  of  our  benefactor.  It 
would  have  been  gratifying  for  me  to  have  done 
something  for  him  when  afterward  means  were 
in  my  power." 

Poor  Hortense  !  most  wonderful  were  the  vi- 
cissitudes of  her  checkered  and  joyless  life.  We 
here  meet  her,  almost  an  infant,  in  poverty  and 
obscurity.  The  mother  and  child  arrive  in  Pai- 
is  on  the  morning  of  that  Reign  of  Terror,  the 
story  of  which  has  made  the  ear  of  humanity 
to  tingle.  Hortense  is  deprived  of  both  her  par- 
ents, and  is  left  in  fri  endlessness  and  beggary 
in  the  streets  of  Paris.  A  charitable  neigbboi 


A.D.1786.]  ARREST  OP  BEAUHAR.NAIS.  53 

Uarrtaje  of  Uorteoie  Queen  of  Holland 

cherished  and  fed  her.  Her  mother  is  liberated, 
and  married  to  Napoleon  ;  and  Hortense,  as 
daughter  of  the  emperor,  is  surrounded  with 
iazzling  splendor,  such  as  earth  has  soldo*1"  wit- 
nessed. We  now  meet  Hortense,  rac it  in 

youthful  beauty,  one  of  the  most  admired  and 
courted  in  the  midst  of  the  glittering  throng, 
which,  like  a  fairy  vision,  dazzles  all  eyes  in 
the  gorgeous  apartments  of  Versailles  and  St. 
Cloud.  Her  person  is  adorned  with  the  most 
costly  fabrics  and  the  most  brilliant  gems  which 
Europe  can  afford.  The  nobles  and  >rinces  of 
the  proudest  courts  vie  with  each  other  for  the 
honor  of  her  hand.  She  is  led  to  her  sumptu- 
ous bridals  by  Louis  Bonaparte,  brother  of  the 
emperor ;  becomes  the  spouse  of  a  king,  and 
takes  her  seat  upon  the  throne  of  Holland.  But 
in  the  midst  of  all  this  external  splendor  she  is 
wretched  at  heart.  Not  one  congenial  feeling 
unites  her  with  the  companion  to  whom  she  is 
bound.  Louis,  weary  of  regal  pomp  and  con- 
straint, abdicates  the  throne,  and  Hortense  be* 
somes  unendurably  weary  of  her  pensive  and 
unambitious  spouse.  They  agree  to  separate ; 
each  to  journey  along,  unattended  by  the  other, 
the  remainder  of  life's  pilgrimage.  Hortense 
a  joyless  refuge  in  a  secluded  castic,  is 


&4  JOSEPHINE.          lAD.178£ 

Death  of  Hortenae.  Meeting  of  Josephine  and  Beauharoal* 

one  of  the  most  retired  valleys  of  Switzerland. 
The  tornado  of  counter-revolution  sweeps  ovei 
Europe,  and  all  her  exalted  friends  and  tower- 
ing  hopes  are  prostrated  in  the  dust.     Linger 
ing  years  of  disappointment  and  sadness  pas« 
over  her,  and  old  age,  with  its  infirmities,  places 
her  upon  a  dying  bed.     One  only  child,  Louis 
Napoleon,  since  President  of  the  French  Repub- 
lic, the  victim  of  corroding  ambition  and  cease 
lessly-gnawing  discontent,  stands  at  her  bed 
side  to  close  her  eyes,  and  to  follow  her,  a  soli 
tary  and  lonely  mourner,  to  the  grave.     The 
dream  of  life  has  passed.    The  shadow  has  van- 
ished away.     Who  can  fathom  the  mystery  of 
the  creation  of  such  a  drama  ? 

Josephine  arrived  in  France.  She  was  re- 
ceived most  cordially  by  her  husband.  Sorrow- 
ful experience  had  taught  him  the  value  of  a 
home,  and  the  worth  of  a  pure  and  a  sanctified 
love.  Josephine  again  folded  her  idolized  Eu- 
gene in  her  arms,  and  the  anguish  of  past  years 
was  forgotten  in  the  blissful  enjoyments  of  a  re- 
united family.  These  bright  and  happy  days 
were,  however,  soon  again  clouded.  The  French 
Revolution  was  now  in  full  career.  The  king 
and  queen  were  in  prison.  All  law  wa«  pros- 
trate. M.  Beauharnais,  at  the  commeooeraeni 


AL.D  1787.1  ARREST  OF  JbEAUHARNAis.  53 


Influential  character  of  Beauharnait.  Jacobin*  and  Girondist* 

of  the  Revolution,  had  most  cordially  espoused 
the  cause  of  popular  liberty.  He  stood  by  the 
*ide  of  La  Fayette  a  companion  and  a  support- 
er His  commanding  character  gave  him  great 
Influence.  He  was  elected  a  deputy  to  the  Con- 
stituent Assembly,  and  took  an  active  part  in 
its  proceedings.  Upon  the  dissolution  of  this 
Assembly,  or  States-General,  as  it  was  also 
called,  as  by  vote  none  of  its  members  were  im- 
mediately re-eligible,  he  retired  again  to  the 
army ;  but  when  the  second  or  Legislative  As- 
sembly was  dissolved  and  the  National  Conven- 
tion was  formed,  he  was  returned  as  a  mem- 
oer,  and  at  two  successive  sessions  was  elected 
its  president. 

The  people,  having  obtained  an  entire  victory 
over  monarchy  and  aristocracy,  beheaded  the 
king  and  queen,  and  drove  the  nobles  from  the 
realm.  France  was  now  divided  into  two  great 
parties.  The  Jacobins  were  so  called  from  an 
old  cloister  in  which  they  at  first  Weld  their 
meetings.  All  of  the  lowest,  most  vicious,  and 
the  reckless  of  the  nation  belonged  to  this  party. 
They  seemed  disposed  to  overthrow  all  law,  hu- 
man and  divine.  Marat,  Danton,  and  Robes- 
pierre were  the  blood-stained  leaders  of  this 
wild  and  furious  faction.  The  Girondists,  their 


5b  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1789 

The  Jacobini  triumphant  Fearful  commotions 

opponents,  were  so  called  from  the  department 
of  the  Gironde,  from  which  most  of  the  leaders 
of  this  party  came.  They  wished  for  a  repub- 
lic like  that  of  the  United  States,  where  thero 
should  be  the  protection  of  life,  and  property, 
and  liberty,  with  healthy  laws  sacredly  enforced. 

The  conflict  between  the  two  parties  was  long 
and  terrible.  The  Jacobins  gained  the  victory, 
and  the  Girondists  were  led  to  the  guillotine. 
M.  Beauharnais  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Girondist  party,  of  which  Madame  Roland  was 
the  soul,  and  he  perished  with  them.  Many 
of  the  Girondists  sought  safety  in  concealment 
and  retreat.  M.  Beauharnais,  conscious  of  his 
political  integrity,  proudly  refused  to  save  his 
life  by  turning  his  back  upon  his  foes. 

One  morning  Josephine  was  sitting  in  her 
parlor,  in  a  state  of  great  anxiety  in  reference 
to  the  fearful  commotion  of  the  times,  when  a 
servant  announced  that  some  one  wished  to 
•peak  to  her.  A  young  man  of  very  gentle  anJ 
prepossessing  appearance  was  introduced,  with 
a  bag  in  his  hand,  in  which  were  several  pain 
of  shoes. 

"Citizen,"  said  the  man  to  Josephine,  "I 
understand  that  you  want  socks  of  plum  gray.1 

Josephine  looked  up  in  surprise,  hardly  ooro 


A. D.  1784.]  ARREST  OF  BEAUHARNAIS.  59 

i  .    warning.  Alarm  of  Josephine. 

prehending  his  meaning,  when  he  approached 
nearer  to  her,  and,  in  an  under  tone,  whispered, 

I  have  something  to  impart  to  you,  madame.'1 

"  Explain  yourself,"  she  eagerly  replied, 
much  alarmed  ;  "my  servant  is  faithful." 

"  Ah !"  he  exclaimed,  "  my  life  is  at  stake 
in  this  matter." 

"  Go,  Victorine,"  said  Josephine  to  her  serv- 
ant, "  and  call  my  husband." 

As  soon  as  they  were  alone,  the  young  man 
said,  "  There  is  not  a  moment  to  lose  if  you 
would  save  M.  Beauharnais.  The  Revolution- 
ary Committee  last  night  passed  a  resolution 
to  have  him  arrested,  and  at  this  very  moment 
the  warrant  is  making  out." 

u  How  know  you  this  ?"  she  demanded,  trem 
bling  violently. 

"  I  am  one  of  the  committee,"  was  the  reply, 
"and,  being  a  shoemaker,  I  thought  these  shoes 
would  afford  me  a  reasonable  pretext  for  adver 
tising  you,  madarne." 

At  this  moment  M.  Beauharnais  entered  the 
room,  and  Josephine,  weeping,  thr»w  herself 
into  his  arms.  "You  see  my  husband,"  she 
said  to  the  shoemaker. 

"  I  have  the  honor  of  knowing  him,"  was  the 
reply. 


60  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1786 

BeauharnaU  proudly  refuse*  to  attempt  an  escape. 

M.  Beauharnais  wished  to  reward  the  young 
man  on  the  spot  for  his  magnanimous  and  per- 
ilous deed  of  kindness.  The  offer  was  respect* 
fall'  but  decisively  declined.  To  the  earnest 
entreaties  of  Josephine  and  the  young  man  that 
he  should  immediately  secure  his  safety  by  his 
flight  or  concealment,  he  replied, 

"  I  will  never  flee ;  with  what  can  they  charge 
me  ?  I  love  liberty.  I  have  borne  arms  for  the 
Revolution." 

"  But  you  are  a  noble,"  the  young  man  re- 
joined, "  and  that,  in  the  eye  of  the  Revolution- 
ists, is  a  crime — an  unpardonable  crime.  And, 
moreover,  they  accuse  you  of  having  been  a 
member  of  the  Constitutional  Assembly." 

"  That,"  said  M.  Beauharnais,  "  is  my  most 
honorable  title  to  glory.  Who  would  not  be 
proud  of  having  proclaimed  the  rights  of  the 
nation,  the  fall  of  despotism,  and  the  reign  of 
laws  ?" 

"What  laws !"  exclaimed  Josephine.  "  It  is 
in  blood  they  are  written." 

"Madame,"  exclaimed  the  philanthropic 
young  Jacobin,  with  a  tone  of  severity,  "  when 
the  tree  of  liberty  is  planted  in  an  unfriendly 
soil,  it  must  be  watered  with  the  blood  of  its 
enemies."  Then,  turning  to  M.  Beauharnaia, 


A.D.1786.]  AAREST  OF  BEAUHARNAIS.  61 

Entreaties  of  Josephine.  Arrest  of  Beauhain&k 

he  said,  "  Within  an  hour  it  will  no  longer  b« 
possible  to  escape.  I  wished  to  save  you,  be- 
oause  I  believe  you  innocent.  Such  was  my 
duty  to  humanity.  But  if  I  am  commanded  to 
arrest  you — pardon  me — I  shall  do  my  duty; 
and  you  will  acknowledge  the  patriot." 

The  young  shoemaker  withdrew,  and  Jose- 
phine in  vain  entreated  her  husband  to  attempt 
his  escape.  "  Whither  shall  I  flee  ?"  he  an- 
swered. "  Is  there  a  vault,  a  garret,  a  hiding- 
place  into  which  the  eye  of  the  tyrant  Robes- 
pierre does  not  penetrate  ?  We  must  yield.  If 
I  am  condemned,  how  can  I  escape  ?  If  I  am 
not  condemned,  I  have  nothing  to  fear." 

About  two  hours  elapsed  when  three  mem 
bers  of  the  Revolutionary  Committee,  accompa- 
nied by  a  band  of  armed  men,  broke  into  the 
house.  The  young  shoemaker  was  one  of  this 
committee,  and  with  firmness,  but  with  much 
urbanity,  he  arrested  M.  Beauharnais.  Jose- 
phine, as  her  husband  was  led  to  prison,  wa» 
left  in  her  desolated  home.  And  she  found 
herself  indeed  deserted  and  alone.  No  one 
could  then  manifest  any  sympathy  w\th  the 
proscribed  without  periling  life.  Josephine's 
friends,  one  by  one,  all  abandoned  her.  The 
young  shoemaker  alone,  who  had  arrested  he» 


62  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  179Q 

Beneficence  of  Josephine.  The  children  deceived 

husband,  continued  secretly  to  call  with  words 
»f  sympathy. 

Josephine  made  great  exertions  to  r fctain  the 
release  of  her  husband,  and  was  also  unwearied 
in  her  benefactions  to  multitudes  around  her 
who,  in  those  days  of  lawlessness  and  of  an 
guish,  were  deprived  of  property,  of  friends,  and 
of  home.  The  only  solace  she  found  in  her  own 
grief  was  in  ministering  to  the  consolation  of 
others.  Josephine,  from  the  kindest  of  motives, 
but  very  injudiciously,  deceived  her  children  in 
reference  to  their  father's  arrest,  and  led  them 
to  suppose  that  he  was  absent  from  home  in 
consequence  of  ill  health.  When  at  last  sne 
obtained  permission  to  visit,  with  her  children, 
her  husband  in  prison,  they  detected  the  deceit. 
After  returning  from  the  prison  after  their  first 
interview,  Hortense  remarked  to  her  mother 
that  she  thought  her  father's  apartment  very 
small,  and  the  patients  very  numerous.  She 
appeared  for  a  time  very  thoughtful,  and  then 
inquired  of  Eugene,  with  an  anxious  expression 
of  countenance, 

"  Do  you  believe  that  papa  is  ill  ?  If  he  is,  it 
lertainly  is  not  the  sickness  which  the  doctor* 
ture." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  my  dear  ohiM?"  asked 


A..D.  1790.J  ARREST  OF  J  os EPHINE.          t>a 

Indiscretions.  Airert  of  Jotepbine 

Josephine.  "  Can  you  suppose  that  papa  and  I 
would  contrive  between  us  to  deceive  you  ?" 

"  Pardon  me,  mamma,  but  I  do  think  so.w 

"  Why,  sister,"  exclaimed  Eugene,  "  ho\? 
Otta  you  say  so  ?" 

''Good  parents,"  she  replied,  "are  unques- 
tionably permitted  to  deceive  their  children 
when  they  wish  to  spare  them  uneasiness.  Is 
it  not  so,  mamma  ?" 

Josephine  was  not  a  little  embarrassed  by  this 
detection,  and  was  compelled  to  acknowledge 
that  which  it  was  no  longer  possible  to  conceal. 

In  the  interview  which  M.  Beauharnais  held 
with  his  wife  and  his  children,  he  spoke  with 
some  freedom  to  his  children  of  the  injustice  of 
his  imprisonment.  This  sealed  his  doom.  List- 
eners, who  were  placed  in  an  adjoining  room  to 
note  down  his  words,  reported  the  conversation, 
and  magnified  it  into  a  conspiracy  for  the  over- 
throw of  the  republic.  M.  Beauharnais  was 
immediately  placed  in  close  confinement.  Jose- 
phine herself  was  arrested  and  plunged  into  pris- 
on, and  even  the  terrified  children  were  rigidly 
examined  by  a  brutal  committee,  who,  by  prom- 
ises and  by  threats,  did  what  they  could  to  ex- 
tort from  them  some  confession  which  would 
\e&Q  to  the  conviction  of  their 


64  JOSEPHINE.         JA.D.  1790 

Josephine  take*  leave  of  her  sleeping  children.  A  mother"!  tnarm 

Josephine,  the  morning  of  her  arrest,  received 
an  anonymous  letter,  warning  her  of  her  dan- 
ger.  It  was  at  an  early  hour,  and  her  children 
were  asleep  in  their  beds.  But  how  could  she 
escape  ?  Where  could  she  go  ?  Should  she 
leave  her  children  behind  her — a  mother  aban- 
don her  children !  Should  she  take  them  with 
her,  and  thus  prevent  the  possibility  of  eluding 
arrest  ?  Would  not  her  attempt  at  flight  be 
construed  into  a  confession  of  guilt,  and  thus 
compromise  the  safety  of  her  husband  ?  While 
distracted  with  these  thoughts,  she  heard  a  loud 
knocking  and  clamor  at  the  outer  door  of  the 
house.  She  understood  too  well  the  significance 
of  those  sounds.  With  a  great  effort  to  retain 
a  tranquil  spirit,  she  passed  into  the  room  where 
her  children  were  sleeping.  As  she  fixed  n.  i 
eyes  upon  them,  so  sweetly  lost  in  slumber,  ar^ 
thought  of  the  utter  abandonment  to  which  they 
were  doomed,  her  heart  throbbed  with  anguiahi 
and  tears,  of  such  bitterness  as  are  seldom  shed 
upon  earth,  filled  her  eyes.  She  bent  over  hai 
daughter,  and  imprinted  a  mother's  farewell 
kiss  upon  her  forehead.  The  affectionate  child 
though  asleep,  clasped  her  arms  around  her 
mother's  neck,  and,  speaking  the  thoughts  of 
thn  dream  passing  through  her  mind,  said 


A..D.  1793.]  ARREST  OF  JOSEPHINE.         65 

Arutality  of  the  (oldien.  Josephine  dragged  to  the  Carmelite*. 

"  Come  to  bed.  Fear  nothing.  They  shall 
not  take  you  away  this  night.  I  have  prayed 
to  God  for  you." 

The  tumult  in  the  outer  hall  continually  in- 
creasing, Josephine,  fearful  of  awaking  Hortense 
and  Eugene,  cast  a  last  lingering  look  of  love 
npon  them,  and,  withdrawing  from  the  cham- 
oer,  closed  the  door  and  entered  her  parlor. 
There  she  found  a  band  of  armed  men,  headed 
oy  the  brutal  wretch  who  had  so  unfeelingly 
examined  her  children.  The  soldiers  were  hard- 
ened against  every  appeal  of  humanity,  and  per- 
formed their  unfeeling  office  without  any  emo- 
tion, save  that  of  hatred  for  one  whom  they 
deemed  to  be  an  aristocrat.  They  seized  Jose- 
phine rudely,  and  took  possession  of  all  the 
property  in  the  house  in  the  name  of  the  Re- 
public. They  dragged  their  victim  to  the  con- 
vent of  the  Carmelites,  and  she  was  immured 
in  that  prison,  where,  but  a  few  months  before, 
more  than  eight  thousand  had  been  massacred 
by  the  mob  of  Paris.  Even  the  blackest  an- 
nals of  religious  fanaticism  can  record  no  out- 
rages more  horrible  than  those  which  rampant 
ialidelity  perpetrated  in  these  days  of  its  tem- 
porary triumphs. 

Wh/>n  Eugene  and  Horiense  awoke,  they 
19—5 


66  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1793 

forlorn  condition  of  the  children.  They  find  a  protector 

fonnd  themselves  indeed  alone  in  the  wide 
world.  They  were  informed  by  a  servant  of 
the  arrest  and  the  imprisonment  of  their  moth 
er.  The  times  had  long  been  so  troubled,  an<? 
tho  children  were  so  familiar  with  the  recita] 
of  such  scenes  of  violence,  that  they  were  pre- 
pared to  meet  these  fearful  perplexities  with  no 
little  degree  of  discretion.  After  a  few  tears, 
they  tried  to  summon  resolution  to  act  worthily 
of  their  father  and  mother.  Hortense,  with 
that  energy  of  character  which  she  manifested 
through  her  whole  life,  advised  that  they  should 
go  to  the  Luxembourg,  where  their  father  was 
confined,  and  demand  admission  to  share  his 
imprisonment.  Eugene,  with  that  caution 
which  characterized  him  when  one  of  the  lead- 
ers in  the  army  of  Napoleon,  and  when  viceroy 
of  Italy,  apprehensive  lest  thus  they  might  in 
some  way  compromise  the  safety  of  their  father, 
recalled  to  mind  an  aged  great-aunt,  who  was 
residing  in  much  retirement  in  the  vicinity  of 
Versailles,  and  suggested  the  propriety  of  seek 
Ing  a  refuge  with  her.  An  humble  female  frien<? 
conducted  the  children  to  Versailles,  where  they 
were  most  kindly  received 

When  the  gloom  of  the  ensuing  night  dark- 
ened the  city,  M.  Beauharnais  in  his  cheerless 


A.D.  1793.]  ARREST  OF  J  OSEFHINE          67 

Gloomy  foreboding!  of  Beauharnals  and  Josephine. 

cell,  and  Josephine  in  her  prison  still  stained 
with  the  blood  of  massacre,  wept  over  the  des- 
olation of  their  home  and  their  hopes.  They 
knew  not  the  fate  of  their  children,  and  their 
minds  were  oppressed  with  the  most  gloomy 
forebodings.  On  the  ensuing  day,  Josephine's 
heart  was  cheered  with  the  tidings  of  their  safe- 
ty. Such  was  the  second  terrific  storm  which 
Josephine  encountered  on  life's  dark  waters. 


68  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1794 

C<»T«nt  of  the  Carmelite*.  Quality  of  the  prisoner* 


CHAPTER  IV. 
SCENES  IN  PRISON. 

FT!  HE  Convent  of  the  Carmelites,  in  which 
-*•  Josephine  was  imprisoned,  had  acquired  a 
fearful  celebrity  during  the  Reign  of  Terror. 
It  was  a  vast  and  gloomy  pile,  so  capacious  in 
its  halls,  its  chapel,  its  cells,  and  its  subterra 
nean  dungeons,  that  at  one  time  nearly  ten 
thousand  prisoners  were  immured  within  its 
frowning  walls.  In  every  part  of  the  building 
the  floors  were  still  deeply  stained  with  the 
blood  of  the  recent  massacres.  The  infuriated 
men  and  women,  intoxicated  with  rum  and 
rage,  who  had  broken  into  the  prison,  dragged 
multitudes  of  their  victims,  many  of  whom  were 
priests,  into  the  chapel,  that  they  might,  in  de- 
rision of  religion,  poniard  them  before  the  altar 
About  three  hundred  thousand  innocent  victim* 
of  the  Revolution  now  crowded  the  prisons  of 
France.  These  unhappy  captives,  awaiting  the 
hour  of  their  execution,  were  not  the  ignorant, 
the  debased,  the  degraded,  but  the  noblest,  the 
purest,  the  most  refined  of  the  citizens  of  the 


A.D.1794.J  SCENES  n»  PRISON.  69 

Cheerfulness  of  Josephine.  Reading  the  dally  Journal 

republic.  Josephine  was  placed  in  the  chapel 
of  the  convent,  where  she  found  one  hundred 
and  sixty  men  and  women  as  the  sharers  of  her 
captivity. 

The  natural  buoyancy  of  her  disposition  ed 
her  to  take  as  cheerful  a  view  as  possible  of  the 
calamity  in  which  the  family  was  involved. 
Being  confident  that  no  serious  charge  could  be 
brought  against  her  husband,  she  clung  to  the 
hope  that  they  both  would  soon  be  liberated, 
and  that  happy  days  were  again  to  dawn  upon 
her  reunited  household.  She  wrote  cheering 
letters  to  her  husband  and  to  her  children.  Her 
smiling  countenance  and  words  of  kindness  an- 
imated with  new  courage  the  grief-stricken  and 
the  despairing  who  surrounded  her.  She  im- 
mediately became  a  universal  favorite  with  the 
inmates  of  the  prison.  Her  instinctive  tact  en- 
abled her  to  approach  all  acceptably,  whatever 
their  rank  or  character.  She  soon  became 
prominent  in  influence  among  the  prisoners, 
and  reigned  there,  as  every  where  else,  over  the 
hearts  of  willing  subjects.  Her  composure,  hei 
cheerfulness,  her  clear  and  melodious  voice, 
caused  her  to  be  selected  to  read,  each  day,  to 
the  ladies,  the  journal  of  the  preceding  day 
From  their  windows  they  could  aee,  each  morn 


70  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.1794 

Boene*  bom  the  prison  window*.  Anecdote  of  Hortaote 

ing,  the  carts  bearing  through  the  streets  their 
burden  of  unhappy  victims  who  were  to  perish 
on  the  scaffold.  Not  unfrequently  a  wife  would 
catch  a  glimpse  of  her  husband,  or  a  mother  of 
her  son,  borne  past  the  grated  windows  in  the 
cart  of  the  condemned.  Who  can  tell  the  fear 
and  anguish  with  which  the  catalogue  of  the 
guillotined  was  read,  when  each  trembling  heart 
apprehended  that  the  next  word  might  an- 
nounce that  some  loved  one  had  perished  ?  Not 
unfrequently  a  piercing  shriek,  and  a  fainting 
form  falling  lifeless  upon  the  floor,  revealed  upon 
whose  heart  the  blow  had  fallen. 

Hortense,  impetuous  and  unreflecting,  was  so 
impatient  to  see  her  mother,  that  one  morning 
she  secretly  left  her  aunt's  house,  and,  in  a 
market  cart,  traveled  thirty  miles  to  Paris.  She 
found  her  mother's  maid,  Victorine,  at  the  fam- 
ily mansion,  where  all  the  property  was  sealed 
up  by  the  revolutionary  functionaries.  After 
making  unavailing  efforts  to  obtain  an  interview 
with  her  parents,  she  returned  the  next  day  t« 
Fontainebleau.  Josephine  was  informed  of  this 
imprudent  act  of  ardent  affection,  and  wrote  to 
bor  child  the  following  admirable  letter : 

"  I  should  be  entirely  satisfied  with  the  good 
Heart  of  my  Hortense  were  I  not  displeased  with 


A.D.  1794.]      SCENES  IN  PRISON.  71 

Latter  from  JoMphin*  to  HortenM.  Mitigation  of  lererity 

her  bad  head.  How  is  it,  my  daughter,  that, 
without  permission  from  your  aunt,  you  have 
come  to  Paris  ?  This  was  very  wrong !  But 
it  was  to  see  me,  you  will  say.  You  ought  to 
be  aware  that  no  one  oan  see  me  without  an 
order,  to  obtain  which  requires  both  means  and 
precautions.  And,  besides,  you  got  upon  M. 
Dorcet's  cart,  at  the  risk  of  incommoding  him 
and  retarding  the  conveyance  of  his  merchan- 
dise. In  all  this  you  have  been  very  inconsid 
erate.  My  child!  observe,  it  is  not  sufficient 
to  do  good;  you  must  also  do  good  properly. 
At  your  age,  the  first  of  all  virtues  is  confidence 
and  docility  toward  your  relations.  I  am  there- 
fore obliged  to  tell  you  that  I  prefer  your  tran- 
quil attachment  to  your  misplaced  warmth. 
This,  however,  does  not  prevent  me  from  em- 
bracing you,  but  less  tenderly  than  I  shall  do 
when  I  learn  that  you  have  returned  to  your 
aunt" 

There  was  at  this  time,  for  some  unknown 
reason,  a  little  mitigation  in  the  severity  with 
which  the  prisoners  were  treated,  and  Josephine 
was  very  sanguine  in  the  belief  that  the  hour 
of  their  release  was  at  hand.  Emboldened  by 
this  hope,  she  wrote  a  very  earnest  appeal  to 
the  Committee  of  Public  Safety,  before  whore 


72  JOSEPHINE.  [A.D.1794 

Joaephine  appeal)  to  the  Committee.  She  U  summoned  to  tried 

the  accusations  against  M.  Beauharnais  would 
be  brought.  The  sincerity  and  frankness  of  the 
eloquent  address  so  touched  the  feelings  of  the 
president  of  the  committee,  that  he  resolved  ta 
secure  for  Josephine  and  her  husband  the  in- 
dulgence of  an  interview.  The  greatest  caution 
was  necessary  in  doing  this,  for  he  periled  hi? 
own  life  by  the  manifestation  of  any  sympathy 
for  the  accused. 

The  only  way  in  which  he  could  accomplish 
his  benevlent  project  was  to  have  them  both 
brought  together  for  trial.  Neither  of  them 
knew  of  this  design.  One  morning  Josephine, 
while  dreaming  of  liberty  and  of  her  children, 
was  startled  by  the  unexpected  summons  to 
appear  before  the  Revolutionary  tribunal.  She 
knew  that  justice  had  no  voice  which  could 
be  heard  before  that  merciless  and  sanguinary 
court.  She  knew  that  the  mockery  of  a  tria 
was  but  the  precursor  of  the  sentence,  which 
was  immediately  followed  by  the  execution 
From  her  high  hopes  this  summons  caused  a 
fearful  fall.  Thoughts  of  her  husband  and  her 
children  rushed  in  upon  her  overflowing  heart, 
and  the  tenderness  of  the  woman  for  a  few  mo- 
ments triumphed  over  the  heroine.  Soon,  how- 
ever, regaining  in  some  degree  her  composure, 


A. D.  1794.]      SCENES  nr  PRISON.  73 

The  unexpected  interview.  Feeling  manifested  by  Beaoh*nuU 

she  prepared  herself,  with  as  much  calmness  aa 
possible,  to  meet  her  doom.  She  was  led  from 
her  prison  to  the  hall  where  the  blood-stained 
tribunal  held  its  session,  and,  with  many  oth- 
srs,  was  placed  in  an  ante-room,  to  await  her 
turn  for  an  examination  of  a  few  minutes,  upon 
the  issues  of  which  life  or  death  was  suspended. 
While  Josephine  was  sitting  here,  in  the  anguish 
of  suspense,  an  opposite  door  was  opened,  and 
some  armed  soldiers  led  in  a  group  of  victims 
from  another  prison.  As  Josephine's  eye  va- 
cantly wandered  over  their  features,  she  was 
startled  by  the  entrance  of  one  whose  wan  and 
haggard  features  strikingly  reminded  her  of  hei 
husband.  She  looked  again,  their  eyes  met, 
and  husband  and  wife  were  instantly  locked  in 
each  other's  embrace.  At  this  interview,  the 
stoicism  of  M.  Beauharnais  was  entirely  sub- 
dued— the  thoughts  of  the  past,  of  his  un  worthi- 
ness, of  the  faithful  and  generous  love  of  Jose- 
phine,  rushed  in  a  resistless  flood  upon  his  soul. 
He  leaned  his  aching  head  upon  the  forgiving 
oosom  of  Josephine,  and  surrendered  himself  to 
love,  and  penitence,  and  tears. 

This  brief  and  painful  interview  was  their 
last.  They  never  met  again.  They  were  al- 
lowed but  a  few  moments  together  ere  the  offi- 


74  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1794 

Trial  of  M.  Bt^jharnV*  and  Joiephlno.  Hope*  chertehed 

oera  came  i*nd  dragged  M.  Beauharnais  before 
the  judges.  His  examination  lasted  but  a  few 
minutes,  when  ke  was  remanded  back  to  pris- 
on. Nothing  was  proved  against  him.  No  se- 
rious accusation  even  was  laid  to  his  charge. 
But  he  was  a  noble.  He  had  descended  from 
illustrious  ancestors,  and  therefore,  as  an  aris- 
tocrat, he  was  doomed  to  die.  Josephine  was 
also  conducted  into  the  presence  of  this  san- 
guinary tribunal.  She  was  the  wife  of  a  no- 
bleman. She  was  the  friend  of  Maria  Antoi- 
nette. She  had  even  received  distinguished 
attentions  at  court.  These  crimes  consigned 
her  also  to  the  guillotine.  Josephine  was  con- 
ducted back  to  her  prison,  unconscious  of  the 
sentence  which  had  been  pronounced  against 
her  husband  and  herself.  She  even  cherished 
the  sanguine  hope  that  they  would  soon  be  lib- 
erated, for  she  could  not  think  it  possible  that 
they  could  be  doomed  to  death  without  even 
the  accusation  of  crime. 

Each  evening  there  was  brought  into  the 
prison  a  list  of  the  names  of  those  who  were  to 
be  led  to  the  guillotine  ou  the  ensuing  morning. 
A  row  days  aiior  iho  trim.,  on  the  evening  of  the 
24th  of  July,  1794,  M.  Beauharnais  found  hi* 
name  with  the  proscribed  who  were  to  be  led  to 


A  D.  1794.]       SCENES  IN  PRISON.  7t 

Besnharnaif 'i  last  letter  to  Josephine.         BnMattty  of  the  exeovtiocwtn 

tne  scaffold  with  the  light  of  the  next  day. 
Love  for  his  wife  and  his  children  rendered  life 
too  precious  to  him  to  be  surrendered  without 
anguish.  But  sorrow  had  subdued  his  heart, 
and  led  him  with  prayerfulness  to  look  to  God 
for  strength  to  meet  the  trial.  The  native  dig- 
nity of  his  character  also  nerved  him  to  meet 
his  fate  with  fortitude. 

He  sat  down  calmly  in  his  cell,  and  wrote  a 
long,  affectionate,  and  touching  letter  to  his 
wife.  He  assured  her  of  his  most  heartfelt  ap- 
preciation of  the  purity  and  nobleness  of  her 
character,  and  of  her  priceless  worth  as  a  wife 
and  a  mother.  He  thanked  her  again  and 
again  for  the  generous  spirit  with  which  she 
forgave  his  offenses,  when,  weary  and  contrite, 
he  returned  from  his  guilty  wanderings,  and 
anew  sought  her  love.  He  implored  her  to 
cherish  in  the  hearts  of  his  children  the  memo- 
ry of  their  father,  that,  though  dead,  he  might 
still  live  in  their  affections.  While  he  wa* 
writing,  the  executioners  came  in  to  cut  off  hii 
long  hair,  thai  the  ax  might  do  its  work  unim- 
peded. Picking  up  a  small  look  from  the  floor, 
be  wished  to  transmit  it  to  his  wife  as  his  last 
legacy.  The  brutal  executioners  forbade  bin) 
the  privilege.  He,  however,  succeeded  in  pur 


76  JOSEPHINE.          [A  D.  1794 

RemoT&l  of  the  guillotine.  Execution  of  M.  Beauhamaii 

chasing  from  them  a  few  hairs,  which  he  in- 
closed in  his  letter,  and  which  she  subsequently 
feceived. 

In  the  early  dawn  of  the  morning,  the  cart 
of  the  condemned  was  at  the  prison  door.  The 
Parisians  were  beginning  to  be  weary  of  tho 
abundant  flow  of  blood,  and  Robespierre  had 
therefore  caused  the  guillotine  to  be  removed 
from  the  Place  de  la  Revolution  to  an  obscure 
spot  in  the  Faubourg  St.  Antoine.  A  large 
number  of  victims  were  doomed  to  die  that 
morning.  The  carts,  as  they  rolled  along  tha 
pavements,  groaned  with  their  burdens,  and  the 
persons  in  the  streets  looked  on  in  sullen  silence. 
M.  Beauharnais,  with  firmness,  ascended  the 
scaffold.  The  slide  of  the  guillotine  fell,  and 
the  brief  drama  of  his  stormy  life  was  ended. 

While  the  mutilated  form  of  M.  Beauharnais 
was  borne  to  an  ignoble  burial,  Josephine,  en- 
tirely unconscious  of  the  calamity  which  had 
befallen  her,  was  cheering  her  heart  with  the 
hope  of  a  speedy  union  with  her  husband  and 
her  children  in  their  own  loved  home.  Tho 
morning  after  the  execution,  the  daily  journal, 
containing  the  names  of  those  who  had  perished 
on  the  preceding  day,  was  brought,  as  usual,  to 
the  prison.  Some  of  the  ladies  in  the  prison 


A.D.  1794. 1       SCENES  IN  PRISON  77 


Josephine  become*  Informed  thereof.  Her  grief.  Her  de»pair 

had  received  the  intimation  that  M.  Beauhar- 
nais  had  fallen.  They  watched,  therefore,  the 
arrival  of  the  journal,  and,  finding  their  fears 
established,  they  tried,  for  a  time,  to  conceal 
the  dreadful  intelligence  from  the  unconscious 
widow.  But  Josephine  was  eagerly  inquiring 
for  the  paper,  and  at  last  obtaining  it,  she  ran 
her  eye  hastily  over  the  record  of  executions, 
and  found  the  name  of  her  husband  in  the  fatal 
list  8he  fell  senseless  upon  the  floor.  For  a 
long  time  she  remained  in  a  swoon.  When 
consciousness  returned,  and  with  it  a  sense  of 
the  misery  into  which  she  was  plunged,  in  the 
delirium  of  her  anguish  she  exclaimed,  "Oh 
God !  let  me  die !  let  me  die !  There  is  no 
peace  for  me  but  in  the  grave." 

Her  friends  gathered  around  her.  They  im- 
plored her  to  think  of  her  children,  and  for  their 
sake  to  prize  a  life  she  could  no  longer  prize  for 
her  own.  The  poignancy  of  her  grief  gradual- 
ly subsided  into  the  calm  of  despair.  A  sleep- 
less night  lingered  slowly  away.  The  darkness 
and  the  gloom  of  a  prison  settled  down  upon 
her  soui.  The  morning  dawned  drearily.  A 
band  of  rough  and  merciless  agents  from  th« 
Revolutionary  Assembly  came  to  her  with  th« 
almost  welcome  intelligence  that  in  two  days 


78  JOSEPHINE.          [AD.  1794 


Preparation*  Cor  the  execution  of  Josephine.          She  become*  cheerful 

she  was  to  be  led  to  the  Coneiergerie,  and  from 
thence  to  her  execution.  These  tidings  would 
have  been  joyful  to  Josephine  were  it  not  for 
her  children.  A  mother's  love  clung  to  the  or 
phans,  and  it  was  with  pain  inexpressible  that 
she  thought  of  leaving  them  alone  in  this  tem- 
pestuous world — a  world  made  so  stormy,  so 
woeful,  by  man's  inhumanity  to  his  fellow-man. 
The  day  preceding  the  one  assigned  for  her 
execution  arrived.  The  numerous  friends  of 
Josephine  in  the  prison  hung  around  her  with 
tears.  The  heartless  jailer  came  and  took  away 
her  mattress,  saying,  with  a  sneer,  that  she 
would  need  it  no  longer,  as  her  head  was  soon 
to  repose  upon  the  soft  pillow  of  the  guillotine. 
It  is  reported  that,  as  the  hour  of  execution 
drew  nearer,  Josephine  became  not  only  per- 
fectly calm,  but  even  cheerful  in  spirit  She 
looked  affectionately  upon  the  weeping  group 
gathered  around  her,  and,  recalling  at  the  mo- 
ment the  prediction  of  the  aged  negress,  gently 
smiling,  said,  "We  have  no  cause  for  alarm 
my  friends;  I  am  not  to  be  executed.  It  i» 
written  in  the  decrees  of  Fate  that  I  am  yet  to 
be  Queen  of  France."  Some  of  her  frieuda 
thought  that  the  suppressed  anguish  of  her  heart 
had  driven  har  to  delirium,  and  they  wept  more 


AD.  1794.J       SCENES  IN  PRISON.  7» 

Credulity  of  lofephina.  The  unexpected  de3ver*noe. 

bitterly.  But  one  of  the  ladies,  Madame  d'Ai- 
guiilon,  was  a  little  irritated  at  pleasantry  which 
she  deemed  so  ill  timed.  With  something  like 
resentment,  she  asked,  "Why,  then,  madame, 
do  you  not  appoint  your  household  ?"  "  Ah ! 
that  is  true,"  Josephine  replied.  "  I  had  for- 
gotten. Well,  you,  my  dear,  shall  be  my  maid 
of  honor.  I  promise  you  the  situation."  They 
both  lived  to  witness  the  strange  fulfillment  of 
this  promise.  Josephine,  however,  who,  from  the 
circumstances  of  her  early  life,  was  inclined  ta 
credulity,  afterward  declared  that  at  the  time 
her  mind  reposed  hi  the  full  confidence  that  if 
some  way  her  life  would  be  saved,  and  that  the 
prediction  of  the  negress  would  be  virtually  re- 
alized. 

The  shades  of  night  settled  down  around  the 
gloomy  convent,  enveloping  in  their  folds  the 
despairing  hearts  which  thronged  this  abode  of 
woe.  Suddenly  the  most  exultant  shout  of  joy 
burst  from  every  lip,  and  echoed  along  through 
corridors,  and  dungeons,  and  grated  cells.  There 
was  weeping  and  faulting  for  rapture  inexpress- 
ible The  prisoners  leaped  into  each  other's 
arms,  and,  frantic  with  happiness,  clung  togeth- 
er in  that  long  and  heartfelt  embrace  which 
none  can  appreciate  but  thoae  who  have  Deer 


«0  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1794 

*  miraculous  change.  Deliverance  to  the  captrret 

companions  in  woe.  Into  the  blackness  of  their 
midnight  there  had  suddenly  burst  the  blaze  of 
noonday.  What  caused  this  apparently  mirac- 
ulous change  ?  The  iron-hearted  jailer  had 
passed  along,  announcing,  in  coarsest  phrase, 
THAT  ROBESPIERRE  WAS  GUILLOTINED.  There 
had  been  a  new  revolution.  The  tyrant  had 
fallen.  The  prisons  which  he  had  filled  witb 
victims  were  to  be  emptied  of  their  captives. 


AD.1794.]    RELEASE  FROM   PRISOW.       81 

M.  TaHlen.  Madame  de  Fontenay 


CHAPTER   V 
THE  RELEASE  FROM  PRISON. 

THE  overthrow  of  Robespierre,  and  the  con- 
sequent escape  of  Josephine  from  the  doom 
impending  over  her,  was  in  the  following  man- 
ner most  strangely  accomplished.  The  tyranny 
of  Robespierre  had  become  nearly  insupportable. 
Conspiracies  were  beginning  to  be  formed  to 
attempt  his  overthrow.  A  lady  of  great  beau- 
ty and  celebrity,  Madame  de  Fontenay,  was 
imprisoned  with  Josephine.  M.  Tallien,  a  man 
of  much  influence  with  a  new  party  then  rising 
into  power,  had  conceived  a  strong  attachment 
for  this  lady,  and,  though  he  could  not  safely 
indulge  himself  in  interviews  with  her  in  pris- 
on, he  was  in  the  habit  of  coming  daily  to  the 
Convent  of  the  Carmelites  that  he  might  have 
the  satisfaction  of  catching  a  glimpse  of  the  one 
he  loved  through  her  grated  window 

Madame  de  Fontenay  had  received  secret  in- 
telligence that  she  was  soon  to  be  led  before  the 
Convention  for  trial.     This  she  knew  to  be  but 
the  prelude  of  her  execution.     That  evening 
19—6 


82  JOSEPHINE.           [A.D.1794 

A  lover" •  device.  Execution  of  Robespierre  decreed 

M.  Tallien  appeared  as  usual  before  the  guard- 
ed casement  of  the  Carmelites.  Madame  do 
Fontenay  and  Josephine,  arm  in  arm,  leaned 
against  the  bars  of  the  window,  as  if  to  breathe 
the  fresh  evening  air,  and  made  a  sign  to  arrest 
M.  Tallien's  particular  attention.  They  then- 
dropped  from  the  window  a  piece  of  cabbage- 
leaf,  in  which  Madame  de  Fontenay  had  in- 
closed the  following  note : 

"  My  trial  is  decreed — the  result  is  certain. 
If  you  love  me  as  you  say,  urge  every  means 
to  save  France  and  me." 

With  intense  interest,  they  watched  the  mo- 
tions of  M.  Tallien  until  they  saw  him  take  the 
cabbage-leaf  from  the  ground.  Roused  by  the 
billet  to  the  consciousness  of  the  necessity  of 
immediate  action,  he  proceeded  to  the  Conven- 
tion, and,  with  the  impassioned  energy  which 
love  for  Madame  de  Fontenay  and  hatred  of 
Robespierre  inspired,  made  an  energetic  and 
fearless  assault  upon  the  tyrant.  Robespierre, 
pale  and  trembling,  saw  that  his  hour  had 
come.  A  decree  of  accusation  was  preferred 
against  him,  and  the  head  of  the  merciless  des- 
pot fell  upon  that  guillotine  where  he  had  al- 
ready caused  so  many  thousands  to  perish.  The 
day  before  Josephine  was  to  have  been  exeou 


A.D.1794.]    RELEASE  FROM  PRISON.       83 


Singular  mode  of  conveying  Infornuttov. 


ted,  he  was  led,  mangled  and  bleeding,  to  the 
scaffold.  He  had  attempted  to  commit  suicide. 
The  ball  missed  its  aim,  but  shattered  his  jaw. 
The  wretched  man  ascended  the  ladder,  and 
stood  upon  the  platform  of  the  guillotine.  The 
executioners  tore  the  bandage  from  Jus  man- 
gled  face,  that  the  linen  might  not  impede  the 
blow  of  the  ax.  Their  rude  treatment  of  the 
inflamed  wound  extorted  a  cry  of  agony,  which 
thrilled  upon  the  ear  of  the  assembled  crowd, 
and  produced  a  silence  as  of  the  grave.  The 
next  moment  the  slide  fell,  and  the  mutilated 
head  was  severed  from  the  body.  Then  the 
very  heavens  seemed  rent  by  one  long,  loud,  ex- 
ulting shout,  which  proclaimed  that  Robespierre 
was  no  more  ! 

The  death  of  Robespierre  arrested  the  ax 
which  was  just  about  to  fall  upon  the  head  of 
"osephine.  The  first  intimation  of  his  over- 
throw was  communicated  to  her  in  the  follow- 
•ng  singular  manner.  Madame  d'Aiguillon 
was  weeping  bitterly,  and  sinking  down  with 
faintness  in  view  of  the  bloody  death  to  which 
her  friend  was  to  be  led  on  the  morrow.  Jose- 
phine, whose  fortitude  had  not  forsaken  her, 
drew  her  almost  senseless  companion  to  the 
window,  that  she  might  be  revived  by  the  fresh 


84  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1794. 

Pantomimic  representatiou  of  Robespierre's  fall. 

air.  Her  attention  was  arrested  by  a  woman 
of  the  lower  orders  in  the  street,  who  was  con- 
tinually looking  up  to  the  window,  beckoning 
to  Josephine,  and  making  many  very  singular 
gestures.  She  seemed  to  desire  to  call  her  at- 
tention particularly  to  the  robe  which  she  wore, 
holding  it  up,  and  pointing  to  it  again  and 
again.  Josephine,  through  the  iron  grating, 
cried  out  Robe.  The  woman  eagerly  gave  signs 
of  assent,  and  immediately  took  up  a  stone, 
which  in  French  is  Pierre.  Josephine  again 
cried  out  pierre.  The  woman  appeared  over- 
joyed on  perceiving  that  her  pantomime  began 
to  be  understood.  She  then  put  the  two  to- 
gether, pointing  alternately  to  the  one  and  to 
the  other.  Josephine  cried  out  Robespierre. 
The  woman  then  began  to  dance  and  shout  with 
delight,  and  made  signs  of  cutting  off  a  head. 

This  pantomime  excited  emotions  in  the  bo- 
som of  Josephine  which  cannot  be  described. 
She  hardly  dared  to  believe  that  the  tyrant  had 
actually  fallen,  and  yet  she  knew  not  how  else 
to  account  for  the  singular  conduct  of  the  wom- 
an. But  a  few  moments  elapsed  before  a  great 
noise  was  heard  in  the  corridor  of  the  prison. 
The  turnkey,  in  loud  and  fearless  tones,  cried 
out  to  his  dog,  "  Get  out,  you  cursed  brute  of 


A..D  1794.]    KELHISK  FROM  PRISON.      87 

Thtivorul  Joy  catued  by  the  death  of  the  tyrant. 


A  Robespierre!"  This  emphatic  phraseology 
convinced  them  that  the  sanguinary  monster 
before  whom  all  France  had  trembled  was  no 
longer  to  be  feared.  In  a  few  moments  the 
glad  tidings  were  resounding  through  the  pris- 
on, and  many  were  in  an  instant  raised  from 
the  abyss  of  despair  to  almost  a  delirium  of  bliss. 
Josephine's  bed  was  restored  to  her,  and  she 
placed  her  head  upon  her  pillow  that  night,  and 
sank  down  to  the  most  calm  and  delightful  re- 
pose. 

No  language  can  describe  the  transports  ex- 
cited throughout  all  France  by  the  tidings  of 
the  fall  of  Robespierre.  Three  hundred  thou- 
sand captives  were  then  lingering  in  the  prisons 
of  Paris  awaiting  death.  As  the  glittering  steel 
severed  the  head  of  the  tyrant  from  his  body, 
their  prison  doors  burst  open,  and  France  was 
filled  with  hearts  throbbing  with  eostacy,  and 
with  eyes  overflowing  with  tears  of  rapture. 
Five  hundred  thousand  fugitives  were  trembling 
in  their  retreats,  apprehensive  of  arrest.  They 
issued  from  their  hiding-places  frantic  with  joy, 
and  every  village  witnessed  their  tears  and  em- 
braces. 

The  new  party  which  now  came  into  power 
with  Tallien  at  its  head,  in  mediately  liberated 


88  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1794. 

Josephine  released  from  captivity.  Gloomy  prospect. 

those  who  had  been  condemned  by  their  oppo- 
nents, and  the  prison  doors  of  Josephine  were 
thrown  open  to  her.  But  from  the  gloom  of 
her  cell  she  returned  to  a  world  still  dark  and 
clouded.  Her  husband  had  been  beheaded,  and 
all  his  property  confiscated.  She  found  herself 
a  widow  and  penniless.  Nearly  all  of  her  friends 
had  perished  in  the  storms  which  had  swept 
over  France.  The  Reign  of  Terror  had  passed 
away,  but  gaunt  famine  was  staring  the  nation 
in  the  face.  They  were  moments  of  ecstasy 
when  Josephine,  again  free,  pressed  Eugene  and 
Hortense  to  her  heart.  But  the  most  serious 
embarrassments  immediately  crowded  upon  her. 
Poverty,  stern  and  apparently  remediless,  was 
her  lot.  She  had  no  friends  upon  whom  she 
had  any  right  to  call  for  aid.  There  was  no 
employment  open  before  her  by  which  she  could 
obtain  her  subsistence;  and  it  appeared  that  she 
and  her  children  were  to  be  reduced  to  absolute 
beggary.  These  were  among  the  darkest  hours 
of  her  earthly  career.  It  was  from  this  abyss 
of  obscurity  and  want  that  she  was  to  be  raised 
to  a  position  of  splendor  and  of  power  such  as 
the  wildest  dreams  of  earthly  ambition  could 
hardly  have  conceived. 

Though  Robespierre  was  dead,  the  strife  of 


A.D.1794:.]  RELEASE  FROM  PRISON.      89 

Heartlessness  of  Marat.  Eugene  apprenticed  to  an  artisan. 

rancorous  parties  raged  with  unabated  violence, 
and  blood  flowed  freely.  The  reign  of  the  mob 
still  continued,  and  it  was  a  mark  of  patriotism 
demanded  by  the  clamors  of  haggard  want  and 
degradation  to  persecute  all  of  noble  blood. 
Young  girls  from  the  boarding-schools,  and  boys 
just  emerging  from  the  period  of  childhood, 
were  beheaded  by  the  guillotine.  "  We  must 
exterminate,"  said  Marat,  "  all  the  whelps  of 
aristocracy."  Josephine  trembled  for  her  chil- 
dren. Poverty,  and  the  desire  of  concealing 
Eugene  among  the  mass  of  the  people,  induced 
her  to  apprentice  her  son  to  a  house-carpenter. 
For  several  months  Eugene  cheerfully  and  la- 
boriously toiled  in  this  humble  occupation.  But 
the  sentiments  he  had  imbibed  from  both  father 
and  mother  ennobled  him,  and  every  day  pro- 
duced new  developments  of  a  lofty  character, 
which  no  circumstances  could  long  depress. 

Let  such  a  woman  as  Josephine,  with  her 
cheerful,  magnanimous,  self-sacrificing,  and 
generous  spirit,  be  left  destitute  in  any  place 
where  human  beings  are  congregated,  and  she 
will  soon  inevitably  meet  with  those  who  will 
feel  honored  in  securing  her  friendship  and  in 
offering  her  a  home.  Every  fireside  has  a  wel- 
come for  a  noble  heart.  Madame  Dumoulin,  a 


JDSEPHINB.          |A  D.  1795 


Undoes*  >f  Jocephlne'i  frimd*.  She  recover*  her  property 

lady  of  great  elevation  of  character,  whose  largr 
fortune  had  by  some  chance  escaped  the  gen 
eral  wreck,  invited  Josephine  to  her  housfc. 
and  freely  supplied  her  wants.  Madame  Fon- 
tenay,  also,  who  was  a  woman  of  great  beauty 
and  accomplishments,  soon  after  her  liberation 
was  married  to  M.  Tallien,  to  whom  she  had 
tossed  the  note,  inclosed  in  a  cabbage-leaf,  from 
her  prison  window.  It  was  this  note  which  had 
so  suddenly  secured  the  overthrow  of  the  tyrant, 
and  had  rescued  so  many  from  the  guillotine. 
They  both  became  the  firm  friends  of  Josephine 
Others,  also,  soon  became  strongly  attracted  to 
her  by  the  loveliness  of  her  character,  and  were 
ambitious  to  supply  all  her  wants. 

Through  M.  Tallien,  she  urged  her  claim 
upon  the  National  Convention  for  the  restora- 
tion of  her  confiscated  property.  After  a  long 
and  tedious  process,  she  succeeded  in  regaining 
such  a  portion  of  her  estate  as  to  provide  her 
amply  with  all  the  comforts  of  life.  Again  she 
had  her  own  peaceful  home,  with  Eugene  and 
Hortense  by  her  side.  Her  natural  buoyancy 
of  spirits  rose  superior  to  the  storms  which  had 
swept  so  mercilessly  over  her,  and  in  the  love 
of  her  idolized  children,  and  surrounded  by  the 
«  ympathies  of  appreciative  friends,  days  of  se- 


A.D.  1795.J    RELEASE  FROM  PRISON.      91 

&  domestic  ioene.  A  new  order  of  knighfinood 

renity,  and  even  of  joy,  began  to  shine  upon 
her 

A  domestic  scene  occurred  in  the  dwelling 
of  Josephine  on  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of 
M.  Beauharnais  peculiarly  characteristic  of  the 
times  and  of  the  French  people.  Josephine 
called  Eugene  to  her  room,  and  presented  to 
him  a  portrait  of  his  father.  "  Carry  it  to  your 
chamber,  my  son,"  she  said,  "  and  often  let  it 
be  the  object  of  your  contemplations.  Above 
all,  let  him  whose  image  it  presents  be  your 
constant  model.  He  was  the  most  amiable  of 
men ;  he  would  have  been  the  best  of  fathers." 

Eugene  was  a  young  man  of  that  enthusi 
astio  genius  which  is  the  almost  invariable  ac- 
companiment of  a  noble  character.  His  emo- 
tions were  deeply  excited.  With  the  charac- 
teristic ardor  of  his  countrymen,  he  covered  the 
portrait  with  kisses,  and  wept  freely.  Josephine 
folded  her  noble  boy  in  her  embrace,  and  they 
mingled  their  tears  together. 

In  the  evening,  as  Josephine  was  sitting 
alone  in  her  parlor,  her  son  entered,  accompa- 
nied by  six  young  men,  his  companions,  eaoh 
decorated  with  a  copy  of  the  portrait  of  M. 
Beauharnais  suspended  from  the  neck  by  a  black 
and  white  ribboi..  "  You  see,"  said  Eugene  te 


98  JOSEPHINE          [A.D.  1795 

The  Or<Vr  of  Filial  Lr~*.       Inauguration.       Decorations  of  the  room 

his  mother,  "  the  founders  of  a  new  order  of 
knighthood.  Behold  our  tutelary  saint,"  point- 
ing to  the  portrait  of  his  father.  "  And  these 
•re  the  first  members."  He  then  introduced 
bis  youthful  companions  to  his  mother. 

"  Ours,"  he  continued,  "  is  named  the  Order 
of  Filial  Love ;  and,  if  you  would  witness  the 
first  inauguration,  pass  with  these  gentlemen 
into  the  small  drawing-room." 

Josephine  entered  the  drawing-room  with  the 
youthful  group,  and  found  it  very  tastefully 
ornamented  with  garlands  of  ivy,  roses,  and 
laurels.  Inscriptions,  taken  from  the  printed 
discourses  or  remarkable  sayings  of  M.  Beau- 
harnais,  were  suspended  upon  the  walls.  Gir- 
andoles, with  lighted  tapers,  brilliantly  illumin- 
ated the  room.  An  altar  was  erected,  hung 
with  festoons  of  flowers,  and  upon  this  altar 
was  placed  the  full-length  portrait  of  M.  Beau- 
harnais.  Three  crowns  of  white  and  red  roses 
were  suspended  from  the  pioture-frame,  and  iu 
front  were  placed  two  vases  with  perfumes. 

The  young  gentlemen  ranged  themselves 
about  the  altar  in  perfect  silence,  and,  at  a  con- 
certed signal,  eagerly  unsheathed  the  swords 
which  they  wore  at  their  sides,  and,  clamping 
hands,  solemnly  took  thf  oath,  "  To  lot't  tkeit 


A..D.  1795.]    RELEASE  FROM  PRISON.       9? 

fbe  oath.  New  organisation  of  K>eUl  »o*l««j 

parents,  succor  each,  other,  and  to  defend  their 
country."  At  this  moment,  Eugene,  unfurling 
and  waving  a  small  banner,  with  its  folds  sha- 
ded the  head  of  his  father.  "We  then  em- 
braced  each  other,"  says  Josephine,  "  mingling 
tears  with  smiles,  and  the  most  amiable  disor- 
ier  succeeded  to  the  ceremonial  of  inaugura- 
tion." 

The  fascination  of  Josephine's  person  and 
address  drew  multitudes  of  friends  around  her, 
and  her  society  was  ever  coveted.  As  time 
softened  the  poignancy  of  her  past  sorrows,  she 
mingled  more  and  more  in  the  social  circles  of 
that  metropolis  where  pleasure  and  gayety  ever 
reign.  The  terrible  convulsions  of  the  times 
had  thrown  the  whole  fabric  of  society  into  con- 
fusion. Great  efforts  were  now  made  to  revive 
the  festivities  of  former  days.  Two  centers  of 
society  were  naturally  established.  The  first 
included  that  in  which  Josephine  moved.  It 
was  composed  of  the  remains  of  the  ancient  no- 
bility, who  had  returned  tc  Paris  with  the  frag- 
ment* of  their  families  and  their  shattered  for- 
tunes. Rigid  economy  was  necessary  to  keep 
up  any  appearance  of  elegance.  But  that  pol- 
ish of  manners  which  almost  invariably  descends 
from  an  illustrious  ancestry  marked  all  theL 


JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1795 


The  "  Ball  of  the  Vlctinn."  Fuhionable  style  of  hair-d 

intercourse.  The  humiliations  through  which 
the  nobles  had  passed  had  not  diminished  the 
exclusiveness  of  their  tastes.  The  other  circle 
was  composed  of  merchants  and  bankers  who 
had  acquired  opulence  in  the  midst  of  the  con- 
fiscations and  storms  of  revolution.  The  pas- 
sion for  display  was  prominent  in  all  their  as- 
semblies, as  is  necessarily  the  case  with  those 
whose  passport  to  distinction  is  wealth. 

At  the  theaters  and  all  the  places  of  public 
festivity,  there  were  presented  studied  memo- 
rials of  the  scenes  of  horror  through  which  al] 
had  recently  passed.  One  of  the  most  fashion- 
able and  brilliant  assemblies  then  known  in 
Paris  was  called  The  Ball  of  the  Victims.  No 
one  was  admitted  to  this  assembly  who  had  not 
lost  some  near  relative  by  the  guillotine.  The 
most  fashionable  style  of  dressing  the  hair  was 
jocosely  called  "  k  la  guillotine."  The  hair 
was  arranged  in  the  manner  in  which  it  had 
been  adjusted  by  the  executioner  for  the  nnim- 
peded  operation  of  the  ax.  And  thus,  with 
songs,  tnd  dances,  and  laughter-moving  jokes 
they  commemorated  the  bloody  death  of  their 
friends. 

A  new  insurrection  by  the  populace  of  Paris 
at  this  time  planned  against  the  Conven- 


A..D.  1795.]    RELEASE  PROM  PRISON.      95 

4  new  tauorrectioa.  The  flttl*  Ccmecn 

tion.  The  exasperated  people  were  again  to 
i  naroh  upon  the  Tuilleries.  The  members  were 
in  extreme  consternation.  The  mcb  could  bring 
tens  of  thousands  against  them,  well  armed  with 
muskets  and  heavy  artillery.  There  were  but 
five  hundred  regular  troops  with  which  to  resist 
the  onset.  Menou,  the  officer  in  command,  ac- 
knowledged his  inability  to  meet  the  crisis,  and 
surrendered  his  power  to  Barras.  This  general 
immediately,  as  by  a  sudden  thought,  exclaim- 
ed, "I  know  the  man  who  can  defend  us !  He 
is  a  little  Corsican,  who  dares  do  any  thing,  and 
is  perfectly  reckless  of  consequences  !" 

The  little  Corsican,  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  the 
day-star  of  whose  fame  was  just  beginning  to 
rise  over  the  smouldering  ruins  of  Toulon,  was 
invited  to  meet  the  Convention.  His  fragile 
form  was  almost  feminine  in  its  proportions, 
but  an  eagle  eye  calmly  reposed  in  his  pallid 
and  emaciate  countenance.  He  had  been  se- 
verely sick,  and  the  Convention  looked  with 
tuiiazement  and  incredulity  upon  this  feeble 
youth,  as  the  one  presented  to  rescue  them  from 
their  impending  peril. 

The  president  fixed  his  eye  upon  him  doubt- 
ingly,  and  said,  "  4re  you  willing  to  undertake 
our  defense  ?" 


•6  JOSEPHINE.          [AJ).179f 

Mapoloon'i  authority  ertablkhed.  The  TnlUar.M  forttfle* 

"  Yes !"  was  the  calm,  laconic,  and  almost 
Indifferent  reply. 

"  But  are  you  aware  of  the  magnitude  of  the 
undertaking  ?" 

u  Fully !"  said  Napoleon,  fixing  his  piercing 
eye  upon  the  president ;  "  and  I  am  in  the 
habit  of  accomplishing  that  which  I  undertake." 

From  that  moment  his  authority  was  estab- 
lished. Every  member  of  the  Convention  felt 
the  mysterious  fascination  of  his  master  minu. 
Barras  surrendered  the  whole  command  into 
his  hands.  He  instantly  called  into  the  city  all 
the  national  forces  which  were  around  Paris, 
and  disposed  fifty  pieces  of  heavy  artillery,  un- 
der the  command  of  Murat,  ?o  as  to  rake  all  the 
avenues  to  the  Convention.  His  calm  and  al- 
most superhuman  energy  sought  no  repose  that 
night.  The  delay  of  but  a  few  moments  would 
have  placed  this  very  park  of  artillery,  which 
secured  his  victory,  in  the  hands  of  the  insur- 
gents. When  the  morning  dawned,  the  Tuil- 
k»ries,  as  if  by  magic,  had  assumed  the  aspect 
if  a  fortified  camp.  The  little  Corsican  was 
silently  and  calmly  awaiting  the  onset,  as  se- 
cure of  triumph  as  if  the  victory  were  already 
achieved. 

But  in  every  quarter  of  Paris,  during  the 


A..D.  1795.]  RELEASE  FROM  PRISON.      97 

Advance  of  the  insurgents.  Napoleon  opens  his  batteries. 

night,  the  insurgents  had  been  mustering  their 
forces,  and  the  mutterings  of  the  approaching 
storm  were  dismally  echoed  through  the  streets 
of  the  metropolis.  Above  thirty  thousand  men, 
all  well  armed  with  musketry  and  artillery,  in 
regular  military  array,  and  under  experienced 
generals,  came  pouring  down  upon  the  feeble 
band  which  surrounded  the  Convention. 

Will  the  little  Corsican  dare  to  fire  upon  the 
people?  Will  this  pale  and  slender  youth,  who 
had  hardly  yet  entered  upon  the  period  of  man- 
hood, dare  to  deluge  the  pavements  of  Paris 
with  the  blood  of  her  own  citizens  ?  Will  he 
venture  upon  a  conflict  so  unequal,  when  fail- 
ure is  his  certain  death  ? 

Napoleon,  with  his  colorless  cheek,  his  flash- 
ing eye,  and  his  air  of  mysterious  melancholy, 
stood  in  silence,  as  the  gathering  thousands 
crowded  down  upon  him.  He  offered  no  par- 
ley; he  uttered  not  a  word  of  warning;  he  con 
descended  to  no  threats.  The  insurgents,  be- 
lieving that  he  would  not  dare  to  fire  upon 
them,  advanced  within  fifty  yards  of  his  masked 
battery,  when  he  opened  his  columns,  and,  in. 
the  roar  of  artillery  shotted  to  the  muzzle,  the 
voice  of  Napoleon  was  for  the  first  time  heard 
in  the  streets  of  Paris.  The  thunder  of  his 
19—7 


98  JOSEPHINE.           [A.D.  1795 

defeat  of  the  Insurgent*.  Rifting  fame  of  Napoleou 

tones  was  preceded  by  the  lightning's  bolt.  Tha 
merciless  storrn  of  grape-shot,  sweeping  the 
streets,  covered  the  ground  with  the  dead  and 
the  dying.  No  mortal  could  withstand  such  a 
conflict.  The  advancing  foe  wavered  for  an 
instant,  and  then,  in  the  utmost  consternation, 
took  to  flight.  Napoleon  commanded  immedi- 
ately the  most  rapid  discharge  of  blank  car- 
tridges.  Peal  upon  peal,  their  loud  reverbera- 
tions deafened  the  city,  and  added  wings  to  the 
flight  of  the  terror-stricken  crowd.  But  a  few 
moments  elapsed  ere  not  even  a  straggler  could 
be  seen  in  the  deserted  streets.  The  little  Cr* 
sican,  pale  and  calm,  stood,  with  folded  aims, 
as  unperturbed  as  if  no  event  of  any  moment 
had  occurred.  During  the  whole  day,  howev- 
er, the  conflict  continued  in  different  parts  of 
the  city,  but  before  nightfall  the  insurgents 
were  every  where  entirely  discomfited. 

Paris  was  now  filled  with  the  name  of  Na- 
poleon. Some  regarded  him  as  a  savior,  pro 
tecting  the  Convention  ;  others  considered  him 
a  demon,  deluging  tne  capital  with  blood.  One 
evening,  Josephine  was  visiting  at  the  house  of 
a  friend,  and  sitting  by  a  window  examining 
some  beautiful  violets,  when  Bonaparte  was 
announced.  Josephine  had  never  yet  met  him, 


A.J).  1795.]    RELEASE  FROM  PRISON.      99 

HI*  first  interview  with  Josephine.  HLa  "  seal  * 

though,  of  course,  she  had  heard  much  of  one 
whose  rising  fame  filled  the  metropolis. 

She  says  that  she  trembled  violently  at  th« 
announcement  of  his  name.  His  entrance 
seemed  to  excite  general  interest,  and  all  eyea 
were  turned  toward  him,  though  most  of  the 
company  regarded  him  in  silence.  He  approach- 
ed Josephine,  and  the  subject  of  the  recent  con- 
flict in  the  streets  of  Paris  was  introduced. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  Josephine,  "  that  it 
is  only  with  regret  that  we  should  think  of  the 
consternation  you  have  spread  through  the  cap- 
ital. It  is  a  frightful  service  you  have  per- 
formed." 

"  It  is  very  possible,"  he  replied.  "  The 
military  are  only  automata,  to  which  the  gov- 
ernment gives  such  motions  as  it  pleases.  They 
have  no  duty  but  to  obey.  Besides,  I  wished 
to  teach  the  Parisians  a  little  lesson.  This  is 
my  seal  which  I  have  set  upon  France." 

This  he  said  in  such  calm,  quiet,  imperturb- 
able tones,  so  expressive  of  his  perfect  confi- 
dence in  himself,  and  of  his  indifference  to  the 
opinions  of  others,  that  Josephine  was  quite 
piqued,  and  replied  politely,  but  yet  in  a  man- 
ner  which  indicated  her  displeasure. 

"  These  light  skirmishes,"  the  young  genera. 


100  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1795 

Napoleon  disarms  the  populace.  The  sword  of  Beauhurnais. 

— % . 

rejoined,  "  are  but  the  first  coruscations  of  my 
glory." 

"  If  you  are  to  acquire  glory  at  such  a  price," 
Josephine  answered,  "I  would  much  rather 
count  you  among  the  victims." 

Such  was  the  first  interview  between  Jose- 
phine and  Napoleon.  It  was  merely  a  casual 
meeting  in  an  evening  party  between  a  widow, 
graceful  and  beautiful,  and  a  young  man  of 
boundless  ambition.  Though  Josephine  was 
not  pleased  with  Napoleon,  he  produced  a  very 
profound  impression  upon  her  mind.  Napoleon, 
being  now  in  command  of  the  troops  in  Paris, 
by  order  of  the  Convention,  executed  the  very 
unpopular  office  of  disarming  the  populace.  In 
the  performance  of  this  order,  the  sword  of  M. 
Beauharnais  was  taken.  The  next  day,  Eu- 
gene, who  was  then  a  boy  twelve  years  of  age, 
of  exceedingly  prepossessing  appearance,  pre- 
sented himself  before  Napoleon,  and  implored 
the  return  of  the  sword  which  had  belonged  to 
his  father.  Napoleon  was  deeply  interested  in 
the  frankness  and  the  fervor  of  emotion  mani- 
fested by  the  lad,  and  immediately  complied 
with  his  request.  Josephine  called  upon  him 
the  next  day  to  thank  him  for  his  kindness  to 
her  son.  He  was  at  this  interview  as  deeply 


A.D.  1795.]    RELEASE  FROM  PRISON.     101 

Napoleon  regards  Josephine  with  Interest  Her  opinion  of  him 

impressed  by  the  fascinations  of  the  mother  as 
he  had  previously  been  struck  by  the  noble 
bearing  of  the  child.  After  this  they  frequent- 
ly met,  and  Josephine  could  not  be  blind  to  the 
interest  with  which  she  was  regarded  by  Na- 
poleon. Situated  as  he  then  was,  it  was  social 
elevation  to  him  to  be  united  with  Madame  de 
Beauharnais,  and  her  rank,  and  influence,  and 
troops  of  friends  would  greatly  aid  him  in  hia 
ambitious  plans.  It  is  also  unquestionably  true 
that  Napoleon  formed  a  very  strong  attachment 
for  Josephine.  Indeed,  she  was  the  only  person 
whom  he  ever  truly  loved.  That  he  did  love  her 
at  times  most  passionately  there  can  be  no  doubt. 

Josephine,  however,  had  many  misgivings 
respecting  the  expediency  of  the  union.  She 
stated  to  her  friends  that  he  was  the  most  fas- 
cinating man  that  she  had  ever  met ;  that  she 
admired  his  courage,  the  quickness  of  his  judg- 
ment, the  extent  of  his  information.  She,  how- 
ever, confessed  that  she  did  not  really  love  him 
—that  she  stood  in  awe  of  him.  "  His  search 
ing  glance,"  she  says,  "  mysterious  and  inex- 
plicable, imposes  even  upon  our  Directors— 
judge  if  it  may  not  intimidate  a  woman." 

"  Being  now  past  the  heyday  of  youth,"  she 
*rrites  in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  "  can  I  hope  long 


102  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D  1795 

letter  to  a  Iriend.  Foretight  of  Napoleon 

to  preserve  that  ardor  of  attachment  which,  in 
the  general,  resembles  a  fit  of  delirium  ?  I£ 
after  our  union,  he  should  cease  to  love  me, 
will  he  not  reproach  me  with  what  he  will  have 
sacrificed  for  my  sake  ?  Will  he  not  regret  a 
more  brilliant  marriage  which  he  might  have 
contracted  ?  What  shall  I  then  reply  ?  What 
shall  I  do  ?  I  shall  weep.  Excellent  resource ! 
you  will  say.  Alas  !  I  know  that  all  this  can 
serve  no  end  ;  but  it  has  ever  been  thus  ;  tears 
are  the  only  resource  left  me  when  this  poor 
heart,  so  easily  chilled,  has  suffered.  Write 
quickly,  and  do  not  fear  to  scold  me,  should  you 
judge  that  I  am  wrong.  You  know  that  what- 
ever comes  from  your  pen  will  be  taken  in  gooc* 
part. 

"  Barras  gnes  assurance  that  if  I  marry  th« 
general,  he  will  so  contrive  as  to  have  him  ap- 
pointed to  the  command  of  the  army  of  Italy 
Yesterday,  Bonaparte,  speaking  of  this  favor, 
which  already  excites  murmuring  among  his 
fellow-soldiers,  though  it  be  as  yet  only  a  prom- 
se,  said  to  me,  '  Think  they,  then,  I  have  need 
of  their  protection  to  arrive  at  power  ?  Egre- 
gious mistake  !  They  will  all  be  but  too  happy 
one  day  should  I  grant  them  mine  My  swotf* 
is  by  my  side,  and  with  it  I  will  go  far ' 


AD.  1795.]   RELEASE  FROM  PRISON.     103 

HI i  confidence.          HI*  ambition  unbounded .          His  moral  principle*. 

"  What  say  you  to  this  security  of  success? 
IB  it  not  a  proof  of  confidence  springing  from 
an  excess  of  vanity  ?  A  general  of  brigade  pro- 
tect the  heads  of  government!  that,  truly,  is 
an  event  highly  probable !  I  knov  not  now  it 
is,  but  sometimes  this  waywardness  gains  upon 
me  to  such  a  degree  that  almost  I  believe  pos- 
sible whatever  this  singular  man  may  take  it 
in  his  head  to  attempt ;  and,  with  his  imagina- 
tion, who  can  calculate  what  he  will  not  under- 
take'" 

It  was  now  winter.  The  storm  of  Devolu- 
tion had  partially  subsided.  The  times  were, 
however,  full  of  agitation  and  peril.  Europe 
was  in  arms  against  France.  There  was  no 
stable  government  and  no  respected  laws.  The 
ambitious  young  general  consecrated  liis  days 
with  sleepless  energy  to  his  public  duties,  but 
each  evening  he  devoted  to  Josephine.  Napo- 
leon never  manifested  any  taste  for  those  dissi- 
pating pleasures  which  attract  and  ruin  so  many 
young  men.  He  had  no  moral  principles  which 
pronounced  such  indulgences  wrong,  but  the 
grandeur  of  his  ambition  absorbed  all  his  ener- 
gies. He  was,  even  at  that  time,  a  hard  stu- 
dent. He  was  never  more  happy  than  when 
alone  with  Josephine,  engaged  in  conversation 


104  JCSUPHINE          [A.D.  1795 

Napoleon' •  eitimate  of  the  female  lex.  Strength  of  his  attachment 

or  reading.  His  attachment  for  Josephine  be- 
came  very  ardent  and  passionate.  The  female 
character  at  this  time,  in  France,  was  far  from 
high.  Napoleon  had  but  little  respect  for  ladiea 
in  general.  The  circumstances  of  his  life  had 
led  him  to  form  a  low  estimate  of  the  sex.  He 
often  said  that  all  the  rest  of  the  sex  were  noth- 
ing compared  with  Josephine.  He  frequently 
gave  public  breakfasts  to  his  friends,  at  which 
Josephine  universally  presided,  though  other  la- 
dies were  invited. 

In  the  pleasant  mansion  of  Josephine,  Napo- 
leon was  in  the  habit  of  meeting  a  small  cir- 
cle of  select  friends,  who  were  strongly  attached 
to  Josephine,  and  who  were  able,  and  for  her 
sake  were  willing  to  promote  his  interests.  Na- 
poleon was  a  man  of  strong  affections,  but  of 
stronger  ambition.  Josephine  was  entirely  sat- 
isfied with  the  singleness  and  the  ardor  of  his 
love.  She  sometimes  trembled  in  view  of  its 
violence.  She  often  remarked  to  her  friends 
that  he  was  incompaiably  the  most  fascinating 
man  she  had  ever  met.  All  have  equally  at- 
tested Napoleon's  unrivaled  powers  of  pleas  ing, 
whenever  it  suited  his  purpose  to  maka  the  ef- 
fort. The  winter  thus  rapidly  and  pleasantly 
passed  away 


A. D.  1796.]  JOSEPHINE  IN  ITALY.         105 

Marriage  of  Josephine  and  Napoleon.  The  army  of  Italy. 


CHAPTER  YI. 
JOSEPHINE  IN  ITALY. 

O1ST  the  9th  of  March,  1796,  Josephine  was 
married  to  Napoleon.  The  Revolution  had 
swept  away  every  thing  that  was  sacred  in 
human  and  divine  institutions,  and  the  attempt 
had  been  made  to  degrade  marriage  into  a  mere 
partnership,  which  any  persons  might  contract 
or  dissolve  at  pleasure.  According  to  the  Rev- 
olutionary form,  Josephine  and  Napoleon  pre- 
sented themselves  before  a  magistrate,  and  sim- 
ply announced  their  union.  A  few  friends  at- 
tended as  witnesses  of  the  ceremony. 

Napoleon  had,  in  the  mean  time,  been  ap- 
pointed commanderof  the  French  forcesin  Italy. 
In  twelve  days  after  his  nuptials,  he  left  his 
bride  and  hastened  to  the  army,  then  in  the 
lowest  state  of  poverty  and  suffering.  The  vet- 
eran generals,  when  they  first  saw  the  pale-faced 
youth  who  was  placed  over  them  all,  were  dis- 
posed to  treat  him  with  contempt.  Hardly  an 
hour  elapsed  after  his  arrival  ere  they  felt  and 
admitted  that  lie  was  their  master.  He  seemed 


106  JOSEPHINE.  [1  D.1796 

Proclamation  ;f  Napoleon.  He  U  eallnc     n  tguor«mu» 

insensible  to  mental  exhaustion,  or  itigue,  01 
hunger,  or  want  of  sleep.  He  was  •  pon  horse- 
back night  and  day.  Almost  supe  mtural  ac- 
tivity was  infused  into  the  army.  It  fell  like 
»n  avalanche  upon  the  Austrians.  In  fifteen 
days  after  he  took  command,  he  pioclaimed  to 
ais  exulting  and  victorious  troops, 

"  Soldiers !  you  have  gained  in  fifteen  day« 
six  victories,  taken  one-and-twenty  standards, 
fifty-five  pieces  of  cannon,  many  strong  places, 
and  conquered  the  richest  part  of  Piedmont; 
you  have  made  fifteen  thousand  prisoners,  and 
killed  or  wounded  ten  thousand  men." 

Paris  was  perfectly  intoxicated  with  the  aiv 
nounoement,  day  after  day,  of  these  brilliant 
achievements.  The  name  of  Napoleon  was 
upon  every  lip,  and  all  France  resounded  with 
his  praises.  "  This  young  commander,"  said 
one  of  the  discomfited  veteran  generals  of  the 
Austrian  army, "  knows  nothing  whatever  about 
the  art  of  war.  He  is  a  perfect  ignoramus. 
He  sets  at  defiance  all  the  established  rules  of 
military  tactics.  There  is  no  doing  any  thing 
with  him." 

Napoleon,  after  a  series  of  terrible  conflicts 
and  most  signal  triumphs,  drove  the  Austrian! 
out  of  Italy,  pursued  them  into  their  own  ooun- 


A.D.  1796.]  JOSEPHINE  IN  ITALY.  107 

Josephine  at  Montebello.  Her  popularity 

try,  and  at  Leoben,  almost  within  sight  of  th« 
steeples  of  Vienna,  dictated  a  peace,  which 
crowned  him,  in  the  estimation  of  his  country- 
men, with  the  highest  glory.  Josephine  now 
went  from  Paris  to  Italy  to  meet  her  triumph- 
ant  husband.  They  took  up  their  residence  at 
the  Castle  of  Montebello,  a  .most  delightful 
country  seat  in  the  vicinity  of  Milan. 

And  here  Josephine  passed  a  few  months  of 
almost  unalloyed  happiness.  The  dark  and 
tempestuous  days  through  which  she  had  re- 
cently been  led,  had  prepared  her  to  enjoy  most 
exquisitely  the  calm  which  ensued.  She  had 
been  in  the  deepest  penury.  She  was  now  in 
the  enjoyment  of  all  that  wealth  could  confer. 
She  had  been  widowed  and  homeless.  She  was 
now  the  wife  of  a  victorious  general  who*e 
fame  was  reverberating  through  Europe,  and 
her  home  combined  almost  every  conceivable 
attraction.  She  had  been  a  prisoner  doomed 
to  die,  and  her  very  jailer  feared  to  speak  to  her 
In  tones  of  kindness  Now  she  was  caressed  by 
aobles  and  princes ;  all  the  splendors  of  a  court 
surrounded  her,  and  every  heart  did  her  homage 
Josephine  presided  at  all  her  receptions  and  en- 
tertainments with  an  elegance  of  manner  so 
winning  as  perfectly  to  fascinate  the  Milanese 


108  JOSEPHS  E.          [A.D.  1796 

Pleasure  excursions.  Isola  Bella 

"  I  conquer  provinces,"  said  Napoleon  of  her  at 
that  time,  "  but  Josephine  wins  hearts."  The 
ricinity  of  Montebello  combines  perhaps  as  much 
of  the  beautiful  and  the  sublime  in  scenery  as 
can  be  found  at  any  other  spot  on  the  surface 
of  the  globe.  Napoleon  sympathized  most  cor- 
dially with  Josephine  hi  her  appreciation  of  the 
beautiful  and  the  romantic;  and  though  he 
devoted  the  energies  of  his  mind,  with  unsleep- 
ing diligence,  to  the  ambitious  plans  which  en- 
grossed him,  he  found  time  for  many  delightful 
excursions  with  his  fascinating  bride.  There 
id  not,  perhaps,  in  Italy  a  more  lovely  drive  than 
that  from  Milan,  along  the  crystal  waters  of 
Lake  Como  to  Lake  Maggiore.  This  romantic 
lake,  embosomed  among  the  mountains,  with  its 
densely  wooded  islands  and  picturesque  shores, 
was  a  favorite  resort  for  excursions  of  pleasure. 
Here,  in  gay  parties,  they  floated  in  boats,  with 
well-trained  rowers,  and  silken  awnings,  and 
streaming  pennants,  and  ravishing  music.  Th« 
island  of  Isola  Bella,  or  Beautiful  Island,  with 
its  arcades,  its  hanging  gardens,  and  its  palace 
of  monkish  gloom,  was  Napoleon's  favorite  land- 
ing-place. Here  they  often  partook  of  refresh- 
ments, and  engaged  with  all  vivacity  in  rural 
festivities.  It  is  stated  that,  while  enjoying  one 


...D.  1796.]  JOSEPHINE  IN  ITALY.  Ill 

nee  dote  Ambition  of  Mapotooh 

jf  these  excursions,  Josephine,  with  one  or  two 
3ther  ladies,  was  standing  under  a  beautiful 
orange-tree,  loaded  with  fruit,  with  the  atten- 
tion of  the  party  all  absorbed  in  admiring  the 
beauties  of  the  distant  landscape.  Napoleon, 
nnperceived,  cr«c+,  *n  the  tree,  and  by  a  sudden 
shake  brougnt  acnra  quite  a  shower  of  the  golden 
fruit  upon  the  ladies.  The  companions  of  Jo- 
sephine screamed  with  affright  and  n  n  from  the 
tree.  She,  however,  accustomed  to  such  pleas- 
antries, suspected  the  source,  and  remained  un- 
moved. "  Why,  Josephine !"  exclaimed  Napo- 
leon, "  you  stand  fire  like  one  of  my  veterans." 
"  And  why  should  I  not?"  she  promptly  replied 
"  am  I  no*  the  wife  of  their  commander  ?" 

Napoleouu,  during  .these  scenes  of  apparent 
relaxation,  had  but  one  thought — ambition. 
His  capacious  mind  was  ever  restless,  ever  ex- 
cited, not  exactly  with  the  desire  of  personal 
aggrandizement,  but  of  mighty  enterprise,  of 
magnificent  achievement.  Josephine,  with  her 
boundless  popularity  and  her  arts  of  persuasion, 
though  she  often  trembled  in  view  of  the  limit- 
less aspiratiDns  of  her  husband,  was  extremely 
influential  in  winning  to  him  the  powerful 
'  friends  by  whom  they  were  surrounded. 

The  achievements  which  Napoleon  aooom 


112  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1796 

Bi«  achievements.  Feari  of  the  Directory 

plished  during  the  short  Italian  campaign  are 
perhaps  unparalleled  in  ancient  or  modern  war- 
fere. 

With  a  number  of  men  under  his  command 
ever  inferior  to  the  forces  of  the  Austrians,  he 
maneuvered  always  to  secure,  at  any  one  point, 
an  array  superior  to  that  of  his  antagonists.  He 
cut  up  four  several  armies  which  were  sent  from 
Austria  to  oppose  him,  tooK  one  nunared  and 
fifteen  thousand  prisoners,  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty standards,  eleven  hundred  and  forty  pieces 
of  battering  cannon  and  field  artillery,  and  drove 
the  Austrians  from  the  frontiers  of  France  to 
the  walls  of  Vienna.  He  was  every  where  hail- 
id  as  the  liberator  of  Italy  ;  and,  encircled  with 
the  pomp  and  the  power  of  a  monarch,  he  re- 
ceived such  adulation  as  monarchs  rarely  enjoy. 

The  Directory  in  Paris  began  to  tremble  in 
view  of  the  gigantic  strides  which  this  ambitious 
general  was  making.  They  surrounded  him 
with  spies  to  garner  up  his  words,  to  watch  his 
actions,  and,  if  possible,  to  detect  his  plans.  But 
the  marble  face  of  this  incomprehensible  youth 
told  no  secrets.  Even  to  Josephine  he  revealed 
not  his  intentions ;  and  no  mortal  scrutiny  could 
explore  the  thoughts  fermenting  in  his  deep  and 
capacious  mind.  His  personal  appearance  al 


A.D.  1796.]   JOSEPHINE  IN  ITALY.         113 

Description  of  Napoleon.  His  reserve. 

this  time  is  thus  described  by  an  observer  of  his 
triumphal  entrance  into  Milan : 

"  I  beheld  with  deep  interest  and  extreme  at- 
tention that  extraordinary  man  who  has  per- 
formed such  great  deeds,  and  about  whom  there 
is  something  which  seems  to  indicate  that  his 
career  is  not  yet  terminated.  I  found  him  very 
like  his  portrait,  small  in  stature,  thin,  pale, 
with  the  air  of  fatigue,  but  not  in  ill  health. 
He  appeared  to  me  to  listen  with  more  abstrac- 
tion than  interest,  as  if  occupied  rather  with 
what  he  was  thinking  of  than  with  what  was 
said  to  him.  There  is  great  intelligence  in  his 
countenance,  along  with  an  expression  of  habit- 
ual meditation,  which  reveals  nothing  of  what 
is  passing  within.  In  that  thinking  head,  in 
that  daring  mind,  it  is  impossible  not  to  sup- 
pose that  some  designs  are  engendering  which 
shall  have  their  influence  upon  the  destinies  of 
Europe." 

Napoleon  was  fully  confident  of  the  jealousy 
he  had  aroused,  and  of  the  vigilance  with  which 
he  was  watched.  His  caution  often  wounded 
Josephine,  as  he  was  as  impentirable  to  her  in 
reference  to  all  his  political  plans  as  to  any  one 
else.  While  she  at  times  loved  him  almost  to 
adoration,  she  ever  felt  in  awe  of  the  unexplored 
19—8 


114  JOSEPHINE  [A.D.  1796 

Remark  of  Josephine.  Snant  pl«n«  of  Napoleon. 

recesses  of  his  mind.  He  appeared  frequently 
lost  in  thought,  and,  perfectly  regardless  of  the 
pomp  and  the  pageantry  with  which  he  was 
surrounded,  he  gave  unmistakable  indications 
that  he  regarded  the  achievements  he  had  al- 
ready accomplished  as  very  trivial — merely  the 
commencement  of  his  career.  She  once  re- 
marked to  a  friend,  "  During  the  many  years 
we  have  now  passed  together,  I  never  once  be- 
held Bonaparte  for  a  moment  at  ease — not  even 
with  myself.  He  is  constantly  on  the  alert.  If 
at  any  time  he  appears  to  show  a  little  confi- 
dence, it  is  merely  a  feint  to  throw  the  person 
with  whom  he  is  conversing  off  his  guard,  and 
to  draw  forth  his  real  sentiments,  but  never 
does  he  himself  disclose  his  own  thoughts." 

Napoleon  now  deemed  it  expedient  to  visit 
Paris ;  for  he  despised  the  weakness  and  the  in- 
efficiency of  those  who,  amid  the  surges  of  the 
Revolution,  had  been  elevated  there  to  the  su 
preme  power,  and  already  he  secretly  contem 
plated  the  overthrow  of  the  government,  as  soon 
«.s  an  opportunity  promising  success  should  be 
presented.  Josephine,  with  her  children,  re- 
mained in  Milan,  that  she  might  continue  tc 
dazzle  the  eyes  of  the  Milanese  with  the  splen- 
dor of  the  establishment  of  the  Liberator  of  It- 


A..D.  1796.]    JOSEPHINE  IN  ITALY.         115 

tftpoleon'i  lore  for  Joaephin*.  Her  influence  orer  him 

aly,  and  that  she  might  watch  over  the  inter- 
ests of  her  illustrious  spouse. 

She  gave  splendid  entertainments.  Her  sa- 
loons were  ever  thronged  with  courtiers,  and 
the  inimitable  grace  she  possessed  enabled  her, 
with  ease  and  self-enjoyment,  to  preside  with 
queenly  dignity  over  every  scene  of  gayety. 
She  was  often  weary  of  this  incessant  giandeur 
and  display,  but  the  wishes  of  her  husband  and 
her  peculiar  position  seemed  to  afford  her  no 
choice.  Napoleon  unquestionably  loved  Jose- 
phine as  ardently  as  he  was  capable  of  loving 
any  one.  He  kept  up  a  constant,  almost  a 
daily  correspondence  with  her.  Near  the  close 
of  his  life,  he  declared  that  he  was  indebted  to 
her  for  every  moment  of  happiness  he  had  known 
on  earth.  Ambition  was,  however,  with  Na- 
poleon a  far  more  powerful  passion  than  love. 
He  was  fully  conscious  that  he  needed  the  as- 
sistance of  his  most  accomplished  wife  to  raise 
him  to  that  elevation  he  was  resolved  to  attain. 
Self-reliant  as  he  was,  regardless  as  he  ever  ap- 
peared to  be  of  the  opinions  or  the  advice  of 
others,  the  counsel  of  Josephine  had  more  influ- 
ence over  him  than  perhaps  that  of  all  other 
persons  combined.  Her  expostulations  not  un- 
frequently  modified  his  plans,  though  his  high 


116  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1796 

4  young  ald-do-camp.  Affection  of  the  Italian*  for  Napoleon 

spirit  could  not  brook  the  aoknowledgment. 
Hortense  and  Eugene  were  with  Josephine  at 
Milan.  Eugene,  though  but  seventeen  years 
of  age,  had  joined  Napoleon  in  the  field  as  one 
of  his  aids,  and  had  signalized  himself  by  many 
acts  of  bravery. 

In  this  arrangement  we  see  an  indication  of 
the  plans  of  boundless  ambition  which  were  al- 
ready maturing  in  the  mind  of  Bonaparte.  The 
Italians  hated  their  proud  and  domineering  mas- 
ters, the  Austrians.  They  almost  adored  Na- 
poleon as  their  deliverer.  He  had  established 
the  Cisalpine  Republic,  and  conferred  upon  them 
a  degree  of  liberty  which  for  ages  they  had  not 
enjoyed.  Napoleon  had  but  to  unfurl  his  ban- 
ner, and  the  Italians,  in  countless  thousands, 
were  ready  to  rally  around  it.  The  army  in 
Italy  regarded  the  Little  Corporal  with  senti- 
ments of  veneration  and  affection,  for  which  we 
may  search  history  in  vain  for  a  parallel.  Ita- 
ly consequently  became  the  base  of  Nape  leon's 
operations.  There  he  was  strongly  intrenched. 
In  case  of  failure  in  any  of  his  operations  in 
Paris,  he  could  retire  behind  the  Alps,  and  bid 
defiance  to  his  foes. 

Josephine  was  exactly  the  partner  he  needed 
to  protect  these  all-important  interest*  during 


A.D.  1796.]     JOSEPHINE  IN  ITALY.         117 

Josephine  an  ally.  She  li  at  horos  in  every  situation 

his  absence.  Her  strong  and  active  intelligence, 
her  sincerity,  her  unrivaled  powers  of  fascina- 
ting all  who  approached  her,  and  her  entire  de- 
votion to  Napoleon,  rendered  her  an  ally  of  ex- 
ceeding efficiency.  Powerful  as  was  the  arm 
of  Napoleon,  he  never  could  have  risen  to  the 
greatness  he  attained  without  the  aid  of  Jose- 
phine. She,  at  Milan,  kept  up  the  splendor  of 
a  royal  court.  The  pleasure-loving  Italians 
«ver  thronged  her  saloons.  The  most  illustri- 
ous nobles  were  emulous  to  win  her  favor,  that 
they  might  obtain  eminence  in  the  service  of 
her  renowned  spouse.  At  the  fetes  and  enter 
tainments  she  gave  to  the  rejoicing  Milanese 
she  obtained  access  to  almost  every  mind  it  was 
desirable  to  influence.  No  one  could  approach 
Josephine  without  becoming  her  friend,  and  a 
friend  once  gained  was  never  lost.  A  weak 
woman,  under  these  circumstances,  which  sc 
severely  tested  the  character,  would  have  been 
often  extremely  embarrassed,  and  would  have 
made  many  mistakes.  It  was  remarkable  in 
Josephine,  that,  notwithstanding  the  seclusion 
of  her  childhood  and  early  youth,  she  ever  ap- 
peared self-possessed,  graceful,  and  at  home  in 
every  situation  in  whioh  she  was  placed.  She 
moved  through  the  dazzling  scenes  of  her  court 


118  JOSEPHINE  IA.D.  1796 

Pnoinburused  air  of  Josephine.      She  become*  the  queea  of  etiquette 

at  Milan,  scenes  of  unaccustomed  brilliance 
which  had  so  suddenly  burst  upon  her,  with  an 
air  as  entirely  natural  and  unembarrassed  AS  if 
her  whole  life  had  been  passed  in  the  saloona 
of  monarchs.  She  conversed  with  the  mosl 
distinguished  generals  of  armies,  with  nobles  of 
the  highest  rank,  with  statesmen  and  scholars 
of  wide-spread  renown,  with  a  fluency,  an  ap- 
propriateness, and  an  inimitable  tact  which 
would  seem  to  indicate  that  she  had  been  cra- 
dled in  the  lap  of  princes,  and  nurtured  in  the 
society  of  courts.  It  seemed  never  to  be  neces- 
sary for  her  to  study  the  rules  of  etiquette.  She 
was  never  accustomed  to  look  to  others  to  as- 
certain what  conduct  was  proper  under  any  cir- 
cumstances. Instinctive  delicacy  was  her  un- 
erring teacher,  and  from  her  bearing  others 
compiled  their  code  of  politeness.  She  became 
the  queen  of  etiquette,  not  the  subject. 

Thus,  while  Napoleon,  in  Paris,  was  cau- 
tiously scrutinizing  the  state  of  public  affairs, 
and  endeavoring  to  gain  a  position  there,  Jose- 
phine, with  the  entire  concentration  of  ah  hei 
energies  to  his  interests,  was  gaining  for  him 
in  Milan  vast  accessions  of  power.  She  had  no 
conception,  indeed,  of  the  greatness  he  was  des- 
tined to  attain.  But  she  loved  her  husband 


A.D.  17&6.J     JOSEPHINE  IN  ITALY.         119 

Josephine  an  object  of  homage.  Her  power*  of  fascination 

She  was  proud  of  his  rising  renown,  and  it  was 
her  sole  ambition  to  increase,  in  every  way  in 
her  power,  the  luster  of  his  name.  Aristocracy 
circled  around  her  in  delighted  homage,  while 
poverty,  charmed  by  her  sympathy  and  her  be- 
neficence, ever  greeted  her  with  acclamations. 
The  exploits  of  Napoleon  dazzled  the  world,  and 
the  unthinking  world  has  attributed  his  great- 
ness to  his  own  unaided  arm.  But  the  gentle- 
ness of  Josephine  was  one  of  the  essential  ele- 
ments in  the  promotion  of  his  greatness.  In 
oo-operation  with  her,  he  rose.  As  soon  as  he 
abandoned  her,  he  fell. 

Josephine  soon  rejoined  her  husband  in  Par- 
is, where  she  very  essentially  aided,  by  her  fas- 
cinating powers  of  persuasion,  in  disarming  the 
hostility  of  those  who  were  jealous  of  his  rising 
fame,  and  in  attaching  to  him  such  adherents 
as  could  promote  his  interests.  In  the  saloons 
of  Josephine,  many  of  the  most  heroic  youths 
;f  France  were  led  to  ally  their  fortunes  with 
those  of  the  young  general,  whose  fame  had  so 
•uddenly  burst  upon  the  world.  She  had  the 
rare  faculty  of  diffusing  animation  and  cheer- 
fulness wherever  she  appeared.  "It  is,"  she 
once  beautifully  remarked,  "  a  necessity  of  my 
heart  to  love  others,  and  to  be  loved  by  them 


120  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1796 

Popular  enthusiasm.  Affected  secltuion  of  Napoleon. 

in  return."  "  There  is  only  one  occasion,"  she 
again  said,  "  in  which  I  would  voluntarily  use 
the  words  /  will,  namely,  when  I  would  say, 
*  /  will  that  all  around  me  be  happy.' " 

Napoleon  singularly  displayed  his  knowledge 
of  human  nature  in  the  course  he  pursued  upo  } 
his  return  to  Paris.  He  assumed  none  of  th : 
pride  of  a  conqueror.  He  studiously  avoided 
every  thing  like  ostentatious  display.  Day  aft- 
er day  his  lieutenants  arrived,  bringing  the 
standards  taken  from  the  Austrians.  Pictures, 
and  statues,  and  other  works  of  art  extorted 
from  the  conquered,  were  daily  making  their 
appearance,  keeping  the  metropolis  in  a  state 
of  the  most  intense  excitement.  The  Parisians 
were  never  weary  of  reading  and  re-reading 
those  extraordinary  proclamations  of  Napoleon, 
which,  in  such  glowing  language,  described  his 
almost  miraculous  victories.  The  enthusiasm 
of  the  people  was  thus  raised  to  the  highest 
pitch.  The  anxiety  of  the  public  to  see  this 
young  and  mysterious  victor  was  intense  be- 
yond description.  But  he  knew  enough  of  the 
human  heart  to  be  conscious  that,  by  avoiding 
the  gratification  of  these  wishes,  he  did  but  en- 
hance their  intensity.  Modestly  retiring  to  an 
unostentatious  mansion  in  the  Rue  Chante- 


A..D.  1796.]    JOSEPHINE  IN  ITALY.         121 

Hi*  become*  itudiouj.       Hit  laudable  emulation.        IIlj  noble  unMttoa 

reine,  which,  in  compliment  to  him,  had  received 
the  name  of  Rue  de  la  Victoire,  he  secluded 
himself  from  the  public  gaze.  He  devoted  his 
time  most  assiduously  to  study,  and  to  conver- 
sation with  learned  men.  He  laid  aside  his 
military  garb,  and  assumed  the  plain  dress  of  a 
member  of  the  Institute.  When  he  walked  the 
streets,  he  was  seldom  recognized  by  the  people. 
Though  his  society  was  courted  in  the  highest 
circles  of  Paris,  his  ambition  was  too  lofty  to 
be  gratified  with  shining  among  the  stars  of 
fashion.  Though  he  had  as  yet  reached  but  the 
twenty -sixth  year  of  his  age,  he  had  already 
gained  the  reputation  of  being  the  first  of  gen* 
erals.  He  was  emulous  not  only  of  appearing 
to  be,  but  also  of  actually  being,  an  accomplished 
scholar.  "I  well  knew,"  said  he,  "that  the 
lowest  drummer  in  the  army  would  respect  me 
more  for  being  a  scholar  as  well  as  a  soldier." 
Napoleon  might  have  enriched  himself  be« 
yond  all  bounds  in  his  Italian  campaign  had  ht 
been  disposed  to  do  so.  Josephine,  at  times, 
remonstrated  against  his  personal  habits  of 
economy,  while  he  was  conferring  millions  add- 
ed to  millions  upon  France.  But  the  ambition 
of  her  husband,  inordinate  as  it  was,  was  as 
sublime  an  ambition  as  any  one  could  feel  in 


122  JOSEPHINE.          [AD.  1796 

Kapoleon  the  Idel  of  the  array.  Anecdote 

vie.w  of  merely  worldly  interests.  He  wished 
ro  acquire  the  renown  of  benefiting  nankind  by 
the  performance  of  the  noblest  exploits.  Ilia 
ultimate  end  was  his  own  fame.  But  he  knew 
that  the  durability  of  that  fame  could  only  be 
secured  by  the  accomplishment  of  noble  ends. 

The  effeminate  figure  of  Napoleon  in  these 
early  days  had  caused  the  soldiers  to  blend  with 
their  amazed  admiration  of  his  military  genius 
a  kind  of  fondness  of  affection  for  which  no  par- 
allel can  be  found  in  ancient  or  modern  story. 
The  soldiers  were  ever  rehearsing  to  one  anoth- 
er, by  their  night-fires  and  in  their  long  marches, 
anecdotes  of  his  perfect  fearlessness,  his  brilliant 
sayings,  his  imperious  bearing,  by  which  he 
overawed  the  haughtiness  of  aristocratic  power, 
and  his  magnanimous  acts  toward  the  poor  and 
the  lowly. 

One  night,  when  the  army  in  Italy  was  in 
great  peril,  worn  out  with  the  fatigue  of  sleep- 
lessness and  of  battle,  and  surrounded  by  A  us- 
trians,  Napoleon  was  taking  the  round  of  hi* 
posts  in  disguise,  to  ascertain  the  vigilance  ol 
his  sentinels.  He  found  one  poor  soldier,  in 
perfect  exhaustion,  asleep  at  his  post.  Napo- 
]eon  shouldered  his  musket,  and  stood  sentry 
for  him  for  half  an  hour  When  the  m*n  awok« 


AD.  1796.]     JOSEPHIAE  IN  ITALY. 

Napoleon  mounts  guard.  The  "Little  Corporal.' 

and  recognized  the  countenance  of  his  general, 
he  sank  back  upon  the  ground  in  terror  and 
despair  He  knew  that  death  was  the  doom 
for  such  a  crime.  "  Here,  comrade,"  said  Na- 
9oleon,  kindly,  "  here  is  your  musket.  You 
have  fought  hard  and  marched  long,  and  your 
sleep  is  excusable.  But  a  moment's  inatten- 
tion might  at  present  ruin  the  army.  I  hap- 
pened to  be  awake,  and  have  guarded  your  post 
for  you.  You  will  be  more  careful  another 
time." 

At  the  "terrible  passage  of  the  bridge  of 
Lodi,"  Napoleon  stood  at  one  of  the  guns,  in 
the  very  hottest  of  the  fire,  directing  it  with  his 
own  hand.  The  soldiers,  delighted  at  this  very 
unusual  exhibition  of  the  readiness  of  their  gen- 
eral to  share  all  the  toils  and  perils  of  the  hum- 
blest private  in  the  ranks,  gave  him  the  hon 
orary  and  affectionate  nickname  of  "  The  Little 
Corporal."  By  this  appellation  he  was  after- 
ward universally  known  in  the  army.  The 
enthusiasm  of  the  soldiers  invested  him  with 
supernatural  endowments,  and  every  one  was 
ready  at  any  moment  to  peril  life  for  the  Little 
Corporal 

The  government  at  Paris,  rapidly  waning  in 
popularity,  notwithstanding  their  extreme  jeal- 


124  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  I79t 


Triumphal  fete.  Song  of  the  loldleri.  Speech  of  Barriu 

ousy  of  the  wide-spreading  influence  of  this  vic- 
torious general,  was  compelled,  by  the  sponta- 
neous acclamations  of  the  people,  to  give  him  a 
public  triumph,  when  the  famous  treaty  which 
Napoleon  had  effected  in  Italy  was  to  be  for- 
mally presented  to  the  Directory.  The  mag- 
nificent court  of  the  Luxembourg  was  embel- 
lished with  the  flags  of  the  armies  which  he  had 
conquered,  and  the  youthful  hero  of  Lodi,  of 
Arcola,  and  of  Rivoli  made  his  first  triumphant 
appearance  in  the  streets  of  Paris.  The  en- 
thusiasm of  the  vast  concourse  of  excitable  Pa- 
risians overleaped  all  bounds.  The  soldiers  of 
the  proud  army  of  Italy  sang  at  their  encamp- 
ments, in  enthusiastic  chorus,  a  song  in  which 
they  declared  that  it  was  high  time  to  eject  the 
lawyers  from  the  government,  and  make  the 
Little  Corporal  the  ruler  of  France.  Barras, 
the  friend  of  Josephine,  who  had  selected  Na- 
poleon to  quell  the  insurrection  in  Paris,  and 
who  had  secured  to  him  the  command  of  the 
army  of  Italy,  declared  in  a  eulogistic  speech 
on  this  occasion  that  "  Nature  had  exhausted 
all  her  powers  in  the  creation  of  a  Bonaparte." 
This  sentiment  was  received  with  the  most 
deafening  peals  of  applause. 

But  how  like  the  phantasmagoria  of  magic 


A.D.  1796.]  JOSEPHINE  IN  ITALY.  123 

Remarkable  contrast  Josephine  the  center  of  attraction 

has  this  change  burst  upon  the  bewildered  Jo- 
sephine. But  a  few  months  before,  her  hus- 
band, wan  and  wasted  with  imprisonment  and 
woo,  had  been  led  from  the  subterranean  duiv 
geons  of  this  very  palace,  with  the  execratioLj 
of  the  populace  torturing  hif  ear,  to  bleed  upon 
the  scaffold.  She,  also,  was  then  herself  a  pris- 
oner, without  even  a  pillow  for  her  weary  head, 
awaiting  the  dawn  of  the  morning  which  was 
to  conduct  her  steps  to  a  frightful  death.  Her 
children,  Hortense  and  Eugene,  had  been  res 
cued  from  homelessness,  friendlessness,  and  beg- 
gary only  by  the  hand  of  charity,  and  were  de- 
pendent upon  that  charity  for  shelter  and  for 
daily  bread.  Now  the  weeds  of  widowhood  have 
given  place  to  the  robes  of  the  rejoicing  bride, 
and  that  palace  is  gorgeously  decorated  in  honor 
of  the  world-renowned  companion  upon  whose 
arm  she  proudly  leans.  The  acclamations  re- 
sounding to  his  praise  reverberate  over  mount- 
ain and  valley,  through  every  city  and  village 
of  France.  Princes,  embassadors,  and  cour- 
tiers obsequiously  crowd  the  saloons  of  Jose- 
phine. Eugene,  an  officer  in  the  army,  high  in 
rank  and  honor,  is  lured  along  life's  perilous 
pathway  by  the  most  brilliant  prospects.  Hor- 
tense  in  dazzling  beauty,  and  surrounded  by  ad- 


126  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1796 

loMphlne  the  "  Htm-  of  Napoleon."  She  U  a  ministering  angel 

mirere,  is  intoxicated  with  the  splendor,  which, 
like  Oriental  enchantment,  has  burst  upon  hei 
?iew. 

Josephine,  so  beautifully  called  "  the  Star  of 
Napoleon,"  was  more  than  the  harbinger  of  his 
rising.  She  gave  additional  luster  to  his  brill- 
iance, and  was  as  the  gentle  zephyr,  which 
sweeps  away  the  mists  and  vapors,  and  presents 
a  transparent  sky  through  which  the  undimmed 
luminary  may  shine.  Her  persuasive  influence 
was  unweariedly  and  most  successfully  exerted 
in  winning  friends  and  in  disarming  adversaries. 
The  admiration  which  was  excited  for  the  stem 
warrior  in  his  solitary,  silent,  unapproachable 
grandeur,  whose  garments  had  been  dyed  in 
blood,  whose  fearful  path  had  been  signalized 
by  conflagrations,  and  shrieks,  and  the  wailmgs 
of  the  dying,  was  humanized  and  softened  by 
the  gentle  loveliness  of  his  companion,  who  was 
jver  a  ministering  angel,  breathing  words  of 
iindness,  and  diffusing  around  her  the  spirit  of 
harmony  and  love.  Napoleon  ever  freely  ac- 
knowledged his  indebtedness  to  Josephine  for 
her  aid  hi  these  morning  hours  of  his  greatness. 

"But  unalloyed  happiness  is  never  allotted  tc 
mortals.  Josephine's  very  loveliness  of  person 
and  of  character  was  to  her  the  occasion  of 


A.D.  1796.]  JOSEPHINE  IN  ITALY.  127 

Jemloury  of  Napoleon.  Art*  of  her  enemies  to  encourage  it 

many  hours  of  heaviness.  No  one  could  be  in- 
sensible to  the  power  of  her  attractions.  The 
music  of  her  voice,  the  sweetness  of  her  smile, 
the  grace  of  her  manners,  excited  so  much  ad- 
miration, invested  her  with  a  popularity  so  uni- 
versal and  enthusiastic,  that  Napoleon  was,  at 
times,  not  a  little  disturbed  by  jealousy.  Her 
appearance  was  ever  the  signal  for  crowds  to 
gather  around  her.  The  most  distinguished 
and  the  most  gallant  men  in  France  vied  with 
each  other  in  doing  her  homage.  Some  of  the 
relatives  of  Napoleon,  envious  of  the  influence 
she  exerted  over  her  illustrious  spouse,  and 
anxious,  by  undermining  her  power,  to  subserve 
their  own  interests,  were  untiring  ha  their  en 
deavors  to  foster  all  these  jealousies.  Josephine 
was  exceedingly  pained  by  the  occasional  indi- 
cations of  her  husband's  distrust.  A  word  from 
his  lips,  a  glance  from  his  eye,  often  sent  her  to 
her  chamber  with  weeping  eyes  and  an  aching 
heart.  An  interview  with  her  husband,  liow- 
5ver,  invariably  removed  his  suspicions,  and  he 
gave  her  renewed  assurances  of  his  confidence 
and  his  love. 

The  plans  of  Napoleon  in  reference  to  his  fu- 
ture operations  were  still  in  a  state  of  great 
uncertainty  His  restless  spirit  could  not  brook 


JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1796 


rhe  "  pear"  not  yet  ripe.  Napoleon  reaolres  to  go  to  Egypt 

inactivity.  He  saw  clearly  that  the  time  had 
not  yet  come  in  which  he  could,  with  the  pros- 
pect of  success,  undertake  to  overthrow  the 
Revolutionary  government  and  grasp  the  rein* 
of  power  himself.  Tt  use  his  own  expressive 
language,  "  The  pear  was  not  yet  ripe."  To 
one  of  his  intimate  friends  he  remarked,  "They 
do  not  long  preserve  at  Paris  the  remembrance 
of  any  thing.  If  I  remain  any  length  of  time 
unemployed,  I  am  undone.  The  renown  of  one. 
in  this  great  Babylon,  speedily  supplants  that 
of  anothe  .  If  I  am  seen  three  times  at  the 
opera,  I  shall  no  longer  be  an  object  of  curiosity. 
You  ne^d  not  talk  of  the  desire  of  the  citizens 
to  see  me.  Crowds,  at  least  as  great,  would  go 
to  see  me  led  out  to  the  scaffold.  I  am  de- 
termined not  to  remain  in  Paris.  There  i* 
nothing  here  to  be  done.  Every  thing  here 
passes  away.  My  glory  is  already  declining 
This  little  corner  of  Europe  is  too  small  to  sup. 
ply  it.  We  must  go  to  the  E  ast.  All  the  great 
men  of  the  world  have  there  acquired  their  o«- 
labrity.  We  will  go  to  Egypt." 

Such  was  the  grandeur  of  the  dreams  of  » 
young  man  who  had  not  yet  passed  his  twenty- 
sixth  year.  And  these  were  not  the  musings  of 
a  wild  and  visionary  brain,  but  the  deeply  laid 


A.D  1797.J  JOSEPHINE   IN  ITALY.  129 

Magnificence  rf  hit  plan*. 

and  cautiously  guarded  plans  of  a  mind  which 
had  meditated  profoundly  upon  all  probable 
emergencies,  and  which  had  carefully  weighed 
all  the  means  which  could  be  furnished  for  the 
accomplishment  of  an  enterprise  so  arduous  and 
so  majestic. 
19—9 


130  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1796. 

Contemplated  Invasion  of  England.  Expedition  to  Kfjpt 


CHAPTER   VII. 
JOSEPHINE  AT  MALMAISOM. 

Directory  in  Paris  became  daily  more 
and  more  alarmed,  in  view  of  the  vast  and 
ever-increasing  popularity  of  the  conqueror  of 
Italy.  A  plan  had  been  formed  for  the  invasion 
i  England,  and  this  was  deemed  a  good  oppor- 
tunity for  sending  from  France  their  dangerous 
rival.  Napoleon  was  appointed  commander-in- 
ohief  of  the  army  of  England.  He  visited  the 
ooast,  and  devoted  ten  days  and  nights,  with 
his  extraordinary  rapidity  of  apprehension,  in 
investigating  the  prospects  of  success.  He  re- 
turned to  Paris,  saying,  "It  is  too  doubtful  a 
chance.  I  will  not  hazard  on  such  a  throw  the 
fate  of  France."  All  his  energies  were  then 
turned  to  his  Egyptian  expedition.  He  hoped 
to  gain  reputation  and  power  in  Egypt,  pass 
through  into  India,  raise  an  army  of  natives, 
headed  by  European  officers  and  energized  by 
an  infusion  of  European  soldiers,  and  thus  drive 
the  English  out  of  India.  It  was  a  bold  plan. 
The  very  grandeur  of  the  enterprise  roused  the 


A-.D.1798.J  JOSEPHINE  AT  MALMAISON.  131 

Hope*  of  the  Directory  Napoleon'*  dislike  of  the  Rerolutin* 

enthusiasm  of  France.  The  Directory,  secretly 
rejoicing  at  the  prospect  of  sending  Napoleon 
so  far  away,  and  hoping  that  he  would  perish 
on  the  sands  of  Africa,  without  much  reluctance 
agreed  to  his  proposal. 

.  Napoleon  never  loved  the  Revolution,  and  he 
most  thoroughly  detested  the  infamous  and  san- 
guinary despotism  which  had  risen  upon  the 
ruins  of  the  altar  and  the  throne.  He  chanced 
to  be  in  Paris  when  the  drunken  and  ragged 
mob.  like  an  inundation,  broke  into  the  Tuille- 
ries,  and  heaped  upon  the  humiliated  Louis 
XVI.  and  Maria  Antoinette  the  most  infamous 
outrages.  He  saw  the  monarch  standing  at  the 
window  of  his  palace,  with  the  dirty  red  cap  of 
Jacobinism  thrust  upon  that  brow  which  had 
worn  the  crown  of  Charlemagne.  At  the  sight, 
the  blood  boiled  hi  the  veins  of  the  youthful 
Napoleon.  He  could  not  endure  the  spectacle 
Turning  upon  his  heel,  he  indignantly  exclaim- 
ed, "  The  wretches !  had  they  mown  down  four 
or  five  hundred  with  grape-shot,  the  rest  would 
speedily  have  taken  to  flight." 

He  often  expressed  his  dislike  of  the  violent 
reTolutionary  course  which  the  Directory  were 
pursuing,  and  stated  freely  to  his  friends,  "  For 
ray  part,  I  declare,  that  if  I  had  only  the  option 


132  JOSEPHINE  [A  D.  1798 

(Upoleon  •  Royillit  Sailing  of  the  expedttloa 

between  royalty  and  the  system  of  these  gen» 
tlemen,  I  would  not  hesitate  for  one  moment  to 
declare  for  a  king."  Just  before  Napolaon  em 
barked  for  the  East,  Bourrienne  asked  him  ii 
he  was  really  determined  to  risk  his  fate  on  the 
perilous  expedition  to  Egypt.  "  Yes !"  he  re- 
plied. "  If  I  should  remain  here,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  overturn  this  miserable  govern- 
ment, and  make  myself  king.  But  we  must 
not  think  of  that  yet.  The  nobles  will  not  con- 
sent to  it.  I  have  sounded,  but  I  find  the  time 
for  that  has  not  yet  arrived.  I  must  first  daz- 
zle these  gentlemen  by  my  exploits." 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  May,  1798, 
the  fleet  set  sail  from  the  harbor  of  Toulon.  It 
was  a  morning  of  surpassing  loveliness,  and 
seldom,  if  ever,  has  the  unclouded  sun  shone 
upon  a  more  brilliant  scene.  The  magnificent 
armament  extended  over  a  semicircle  of  not  less 
than  eighteen  miles.  The  fleet  consisted  of 
thirteen  ships  of  the  line,  fourteen  frigates,  and 
four  hundred  transports.  They  carried  forty 
thousand  picked  soldiers,  and  officers  of  the 
highest  celebrity.  For  the  first  time  in  the 
world,  a  corps  of  scientific  gentlemen  was  at- 
tached to  a  military  expedition.  One  hundred 
eminent  irtists  and  connoisseurs  Narolecn  had 


A.D.  1798.]  JOSEPH  NE  AT  MALMAISON.  133 

A  corps  of  iavan$.  Josephine  in  Toulon.  Plan  of  Napokmn. 

eolleoted  to  gather  the  antiquarian  treasures  of 
Egypt,  and  to  extend  the  boundaries  of  science 
by  the  observation  of  the  phenomena  of  nature. 
They  formed  a  part  of  the  staff  of  the  irvading 
irmy. 

Josephine  accompanied  her  husband  to  Tou- 
lon, and  remained  with  him  until  his  embarka- 
tion. She  was  extremely  anxious  to  go  with 
him  to  Egypt,  and  with  tears  plead  that  he 
would  allow  her  to  share  his  hardships  and  his 
perils.  Napoleon,  however,  deemed  the  haz- 
arda  to  which  they  would  be  exposed,  and  the 
fatigues  and  sufferings  they  must  necessarily 
endure,  as  quite  too  formidable  for  Josephine 
to  encounter.  But  in  the  anguish  of  their  part- 
ing, which  is  described  as  most  tender,  she 
wrung  from  him  a  promise  to  allow  her  to  fol- 
low as  soon  as  affairs  in  the  East  should  render 
it  prudent  for  her  to  do  so.  It  can  hardly  be 
possible,  however,  that  Napoleon  ever  expected 
to  see  her  in  Egypt.  He  himself  has  thus  de- 
scribed the  objects  he  had  in  view  in  this  vast 
enterprise :  "  1.  To  establish  on  the  banks  of 
the  Nile  a  French  colony,  which  could  exist 
without  slaves,  and  supply  the  place  of  Saint 
Domingo.  2.  To  open  a  market  for  the  man- 
ufactures of  France  in  Africa,  Arabia,  and 


134  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1799 

No  obstacle  imurmountable.  Lonelineu  of  Jocephia* 

Syria,  and  to  obtain  for  the  productions  of  his 
countrymen  the  productions  of  those  countries. 
}.  To  set  out  from  Egypt,  with  an  army  of  sixty 
thousand  men,  for  the  Indus,  rouse  the  Mah- 
rattas  to  a  revolt,  and  excite  against  the  En- 
glish the  population  of  those  vast  countries. 
Sixty  thousand  men,  half  Europeans,  half  na- 
tives, transported  on  fifty  thousand  camels  and 
ten  thousand  horses,  carrying  with  them  pro- 
visions for  fifty  days,  water  for  six,  with  one 
hundred  and  fifty  pieces  of  cannon  and  double 
ammunition,  would  arrive  in  four  months  in 
India.  The  ocean  ceased  to  be  an  obstacle 
when  vessels  were  constructed.  The  desert 
becomes  passable  the  moment  you  have  camels 
and  dromedaries  in  abundance." 

As  the  fleet  got  under  way,  Josephine  stood 
upon  a  balcony,  with  tearful  eyes,  gazing  upon 
the  scene,  so  imposing,  and  yet  so  sorrowful  to 
her.  The  Orient,  a  ship  of  enormous  magni- 
tude, contained  her  husband  and  her  son.  They 
were  going  into  the  midst  of  dangers  from 
whence  it  was  doubtful  whether  they  would 
ever  return.  She  fixed  her  eyes  upon  the  ship 
is  its  lessening  sails  grew  fainter  and  fainter  in 
the  distance,  until  the  hardly  discernible  speck 
disappeared  beneath  the  horizon,  which  the  blue 


A.D.  1798.]  JOSEPHINE  »T  MALMAISON.  135 

Residence  at  Plombttraa.  Josephine  tend*  for  her  daughter 

waves  of  the  Mediterranean  outlined.  She 
retired  to  her  room  with  those  feelings  of  lone- 
Hness  and  desolation  which  the  circumstances 
were  so  peculiarly  calculated  to  inspire. 

It  was  arranged  that  Josephine  should  take 
op  her  residence,  until  Napoleon  should  send 
for  her,  at  Plombieres,  a  celebrated  watering- 
place,  whose  medicinal  springs  were  supposed 
to  be  very  efficacious  in  restoring  maternity. 
She  sent  for  Hortense,  at  that  time  fifteen  years 
of  age,  and  who  was  then  in  the  boarding-schoo 
•f  the  distinguished  Madame  Campan.  Jose- 
phine wished  for  her  daughter  to  be  her  com 
panion  during  the  weary  hours  of  her  absence 
from  her  husband.  She  was  expecting  that, 
as  soon  as  a  landing  should  be  effected  in  Egypt, 
a  frigate  would  be  dispatched  to  convey  her  to 
the  banks  of  the  Nile.  She  found  solace  during 
the  lingering  weeks  of  expectation  in  devoting 
herself  to  the  instruction  of  her  daughter.  Her 
comprehensive  and  excellent  views  on  the  sub- 
ject of  education  are  developed  in  a  letter  which 
•he  at  this  time  wrote  to  Madame  Campan,  Jt 
accompany  a  niece  who  was  to  return  to  her 
school: 

"  MY  DEAR   MADAME  CAMPAN  ,  —  With   my 
,  whom  I  return  to  your  charge,  receive 


136  JOSEPHINE 


|  ftm/itvpmit 


also  my  thanks  and  my  reproof.  The  former 
are  due  for  the  great  oare  and  brilliant  educa- 
tion which  you  have  bestowed  upon  the  child ; 
the  latter,  for  the  faults  which  your  sagacity 
must  have  discovered,  but  which  your  indul- 
gence has  tolerated.  The  girl  is  gentle,  but 
shy ;  well  informed,  but  haughty ;  talented,  but 
thoughtless.  She  does  not  please,  and  takes  no 
pains  to  render  herself  agreeable.  She  conceives 
that  the  reputation  of  her  uncle  and  the  bravery 
of  her  father  are  every  thing.  Teach  her,  and 
that  by  the  most  effectual  means,  how  absolute* 
ly  unavailing  are  those  qualities  which  are  not 
personal.  We  live  in  an  age  where  each  is  the 
author  of  his  own  fortunes ;  and  if  those  who 
serve  the  state  in  the  first  ranks  ought  to  have 
some  advantages  and  enjoy  some  privileges,  they 
should,  on  that  account,  strive  only  to  render 
themselves  more  beloved  and  more  useful.  It 
is  solely  by  acting  thus  that  they  can  have  some 
chance  of  excusing  their  good  fortune  in  the  eyes 
of  envy  Of  these  things,  my  dear  Madame 
Campan,  you  must  not  allow  my  niece  to  re- 
main ignorant;  and  such  are  the  instruct!  e~s 
which,  in  my  name,  you  should  repeat  to  her 
constantly.  It  is  my  pleasure  that  she  treat  as 
equals  every  one  of  her  companions,  most  of 


n..D.  1798.]  JOSEPHINE  AT  MALMAISON.  137 

Napoleon  lend*  •  frigate  for  Joiephlne.  Seriom  accident 


are  better  or  as  good  as  herself,  their 
only  inferiority  consisting  in  not  having  rela- 
tions so  able  or  so  fortunate." 

Notwithstanding  Napoleon's  strong  disincli- 
nation to  have  Josephine  join  him  in  Egypt, 
and  though  in  every  letter  he  strongly  urged 
her  to  relinquish  the  plan,  she  was  so  importu- 
nate in  her  solicitations  that  he  sent  the  Pomo- 
na frigate  to  convey  her  across  the  Mediterra- 
nean. She  was  prevented  from  embarking  by 
an  accident,  which  she  must  have  deemed  a 
very  serious  calamity,  but  which  probably  saved 
her  from  years  of  captivity.  She  was  one  morn- 
ing sitting  in  her  saloon,  busy  with  her  needle, 
and  conversing  with  several  ladies  who  were  her 
companions  and  intimate  friends,  when  a  lady 
who  was  standing  in  the  balcony  called  the  at- 
tention of  the  party  to  a  very  beautiful  dog 
which  was  passing  in  the  street.  All  the  ladies 
lushed  upon  the  balcony,  when,  with  a  fearful 
crash,  it  broke  dowr,  and  precipitated  them 
upon  the  pavement.  Though  no  lives  were  lost, 
several  of  the  party  were  dreadfully  injured 
Josephine  was  so  severely  bruised  as  to  be  ut- 
terly helpless,  and  for  some  time  she  was  fed 
like  an  infant.  It  was  several  months  before 
•he  was  sufficiently  recovered  to  be  able  to  lea  vo 


138  JOSEPHINE.  [A.D.  1798 

Capture  of  the  Pomona  frigate.  Purchase  of  Mftlmnnoa 

her  house.  This  grievous  disappointment,  how- 
ever,  probably  saved  her  from  another,  which 
would  have  been  far  more  severely  felt.  The 
frigate  in  which  she  was  to  have  embarked,  had 
it  not  been  for  this  accident,  was  captured  by 
one  of  the  English  cruipers  and  taken  to  London 

Napoleon  went  to  Egypt  because  he  thought 
it  the  shortest  route  to  the  vacant  throne  of  the 
Bourbons.  He  despised  the  rulers  who  were 
degrading  France,  and  placing  a  stigma  upon 
popular  liberty  by  their  ignorance  and  their  vi- 
olence, and  he  resolved  upon  their  overthrow 
Consequently,  while  guiding  the  movements  of 
his  army  upon  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  his  atten- 
tion was  continually  directed  to  Paris.  He 
wrote  to  Josephine  that  he  intended  ere  long  to 
return,  and  directed  her  to  purchase  a  pleasant 
country  seat  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  Paris. 

About  ten  miles  from  the  metropolis  and  five 
miles  from  Versailles  there  was  a  beautiful 
ohatean,  most  charmingly  situated,  called  Mai- 
maison.  This  estate  Josephine  purchased,  great- 
ly enlarging  the  grounds,  at  an  expense  of  about 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  This  lovely  re- 
treat possessed  unfailing  rural  attraction  for  a 
mind  formed,  like  that  of  Josephine,  for  the  rich 
tppreoiat-'ou  of  all  that  is  kvely  in  the  aspect* 


A..D.1799.]  JOSEPHINE  AT  MALMAISON.  139 


JoMphine  remore*  thither.  Espionage  of  Majx>leo* 

of  nature.  Napoleon  was  deiighted  with  the 
purchase,  and  expended  subsequently  incredible 
•tuns  in  repairs  and  enlargements,  and  in  em- 
bellishments of  statues,  paintings,  and  furni- 
ture. This  was  ever  the  favorite  residence  of 
Napoleon  and  Josephine. 

As  the  leaves  of  autumn  began  to  fall,  Jose- 
phine, who  had  been  slowly  recovering  from  the 
effects  of  the  accident,  left  Plombieres  and  took 
up  her  residence  at  Malmaison.  Napoleon  wag 
absent  in  Egypt  about  eighteen  months.  Dur- 
ing the  winter  and  the  ensuing  summer,  Jose- 
phine remained  with  Hortense,  and  several 
other  ladies,  who  composed  her  most  agreeable 
household,  in  this  beautiful  retreat.  The  celeb- 
rity of  Napoleon  surrounded  them  with  friends, 
mnd  that  elegant  mansion  was  the  resort  of  the 
most  illustrious  in  rank  and  intellect.  Napo- 
leon, who  had  ever  a  spice  of  jealousy  in  his 
nature,  had  every  thing  reported  to  him  whioh 
occurred  at  Malmaison.  He  was  informed  re« 
•peoting  all  the  guests  who  visited  the  chateau, 
and  of  the  conversation  which  passed  in  everj 
interview. 

Hortense  was  a  lively  girl  of  fifteen,  and  the 
time  hung  rather  heavily  upon  her  hands.  She 
tmnsed  herself  in  playing  all  manner  of  prank* 


140  JOSEPHINE.          f  A.D.  1799 


Playfulness  of  Hortence.  Cunt  The  apparition 

upon  a.  very  singular  valet  de  chambre,  by  the 
name  of  Carrat,  whom  her  mother  had  brought 
from  Italy.  This  man  was  very  timid  and  eo- 
aentrio,  but,  with  most  enthusiastic  devotion, 
attached  to  the  service  of  Josephine. 

One  evening  Carrat  received  orders  to  attend 
Madame  Bonaparte  and  several  ladies  who 
were  with  her  in  their  twilight  walk  through 
the  magnificent  park  belonging  to  the  estate. 
Carrat,  ever  delighted  with  an  opportunity  to 
display  his  attachment  to  his  kind  mistress, 
obeyed  with  great  alacrity.  No  ladies  in  peril 
oould  desire  a  more  valiant  knight-errant  than 
the  vaunting  little  Italian  assumed  to  be.  They 
had  not  advanced  far  into  the  somber  shadows 
of  the  grove  when  they  saw,  solemnly  emerging 
from  the  obscurity,  a  tall  specter  in  its  wind- 
ing-sheet. The  fearful  apparition  approached 
the  party,  when  the  valet,  terrified  beyond  all 
power  of  self-control,  and  uttering  the  most 
fearful  shrieks,  abandoned  the  ladies  to  the  ten- 
iar  mercies  of  the  ghost,  and  fled.  The  phan- 
tam,  with  its  white  drapery  fluttering  in  the 
wind,  pursued  him.  Soon  the  steps  of  the  af- 
frighted valet  began  to  falter,  and  he  dropped 
upon  the  ground;  Insensible,  in  a  fit.  Hortense, 
who  had  been  perfectly  convulsed  with  laugh- 


A  D  1799.]  JOSEPHINE  AT  MALMAIBON.  141 

Mortf  me  •  tormentor.  A  chower-bcth  In  embry.i 

ter  in  view  of  the  triumphant  success  of  her 
experiment,  was  now  correspondingly  alarmed. 
The  ghost  was  a  fellow-servant  of  Carrat,  who 
had  been  dressed  out  nnder  the  superintendence 
of  the  mischievous  Hortense. 

As  the  poor  man  recovered  without  any  se- 
rious injury  and  without  the  slightest  diminu- 
tion of  his  excessive  vanity,  the  fun-loving  Hor- 
tense could  not  repress  her  propensity  still  to 
make  him  the  butt  of  her  practical  jokes.  It 
was  a  defect  in  her  character  that  she  could  find 
pleasure  in  this  mischievous  kind  of  torment. 
It  is  not  improbable  that  this  trait  of  character, 
which  appears  so  excusable  in  a  mirthful  girl 
of  fifteen,  was  the  cause  of  that  incessant  train 
of  sorrows  which  subsequently  embittered  her 
whole  life.  Carrat  was  perfectly  devoted  to  Jo- 
sephine ;  Hortense  was  his  torment. 

The  unlucky  valet  occupied  a  sleeping-room 
separated  from  another  only  by  a  thin  deal  par- 
tition. A  hole  was  made  through  this,  and  a 
pail  of  water  so  suspended  in  equilibrium  over 
the  pillow  of  the  victim,  that  by  drawing  a  cord 
the  whole  contents  would  be  emptied  upon  his 
head.  The  supports  of  the  bedstead  had  also 
been  removed,  so  that  the  whole  fabric  would 
fall  as  soon  as  any  weight  was  placed  upon  it 


142  JOSEPHINE  [A.D.  1799 

PmlU  of  loving  darkness  rather  than  light  Murder  I  fir* 

Carrat,  among  his  other  eccentricities,  was  evei 
In  the  habit  of  going  to  bed  without  a  light 
Matters  being  thus  prepared,  Hortense,  who  had 
employed  an  attendant  to  aid  her  in  her  plans 
stood  in  an  adjoining  room  to  enjoy  the  oata» 
trophe. 

The  poor  man  entered  his  room,  and  threw 
himself  upon  his  pallet.  Down  it  came  with  a 
crash,  and  his  shriek  of  fright  was  for  a  moment 
drowned  in  the  inundation  of  water.  Hortense, 
knowing  the  almost  delirious  fear  which  the  pu- 
erile valet  had  of  reptiles,  cried,  "  Poor  man ! 
poor  man !  what  will  he  do.  The  water  was  full 
of  toads."  Carrat,  in  utter  darkness,  drench- 
ed with  cold  water,  and  overwhelmed  in  the 
ruins  of  his  bed  and  bedding,  shrieked,  "  Mur- 
der !  help !  fire !  drowning !"  while  Hortense 
and  her  accomplices  enjoyed  his  ludicrous  terror. 
She  afterward  made  him  a  handsome  present 
as  a  compensation.  Hortense  was  not  a  mali- 
cious girl,  but,  like  many  others  who  are  mirth- 
fed  and  thoughtless,  she  found  a  strange  pleas- 
ore  in  teasing.  Josephine's  only  happiness  was 
in  making  others  happy.  "  It  is  a  necessity  of 
my  heart,"  she  said,  "to  love  those  around  me, 
and  to  be  loved  by  them  in  return."  How  much 
more  noble  such  a  spirit ! 


A.l>.  1799.]  JOSEPHINE  AT  MALMAISON.  143 

f OMphlaa'*  ie*l  for  her  buibmd.  Letter  to  *n  enlgrtut 

Though  Josephine  was  not  fully  informed  re- 
rpecting  the  ultimate  designs  of  Napoleon,  and 
though  Napoleon  at  this  time  probably  had  00 
very  definite  plans  respecting  his  future  actions, 
his  interests  manifestly  required  that  she  should 
exert  all  her  powers  to  strengthen  the  ties  of 
those  who  were  already  his  friends,  and  to  gain 
others  to  his  rising  name.  Josephine  acquired 
great  influence  over  many  members  of  the  Di- 
rectory, and  this  influence  she  was  continually 
exerting  for  the  relief  of  those  who  were  hi  dis- 
tress. Many  of  the  proscribed  emigrants  were 
mdebted  to  her  for  liberty  and  the  restoration 
of  their  forfeited  estates.  The  following  letter 
from  Josephine  to  an  emigrant,  whose  fortune, 
and  perhaps  life,  she  had  saved,  exhibits  her  in- 
tellectual elevation  as  well  as  the  amiability  of 
her  heart. 

"  SIR, — Your  petition,  which  reached  Mal- 
maison  on  the  12th,  was  presented  the  same 
evening,  and  by  myself,  to  Citizen  Barras.  J 
have  the  pleasure  to  announce  to  you  that  the 
decision  is  favorable,  and  that  now,  erased  from 
the  fatal  list,  you  are  restored  to  all  the  rights  of 
a  French  citizen.  But  in  transmitting  a  com- 
munication not  less  agreeable  to  me  than  to 
yourself,  permit  me  to  enhance  its  value  by  re- 


144  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1799 

Remark*  of  BarrM.  Good  adrlce  offered, 

peating  to  you  the  exact  words  with  which  it 
was  accompanied  by  the  Director.  'I  have 
Osually  little  to  deny  you,  madame,'  said  he 
resenting  me  with  a  sealed  inclosure  contain* 
ing  the  act  of  restoration,  '  and  certainly,  when 
humanity  is  concerned,  I  can  have  far  less  ob- 
jection. But  pity  for  misfortune  does  not  ex- 
olude  justice,  and  justice  is  inseparable  from  the 
love  of  truth.  As  unfortunate,  M.  de  Sansal 
merits  commiseration.  As  an  emigrant,  he  has 
right  to  none.  I  will  say  more ;  had  I  been  dis- 
posed to  be  severe,  there  existed  a  cause  for 
stern  reprisals  on  the  part  of  a  government  to 
whose  kindness  he  replies  by  insults.  Although 
I  despise  those  of  such  a  man,  I  appreciate  them. 
They  prove  an  ungrateful  heart  and  a  narrow 
mind.  Let  him  be  careful  about  expressing 
his  hatred.  All  my  colleagues  are'  not  equally 
indulgent.' 

"  Blame  only  yourself,  sir,  for  the  small  snare 
of  amenity  in  these  counsels.  They  are  harsh; 
perhaps,  but  useful;  and  you  will  do  well  to 
render  them  effective.  Regard,  also,  the  faith. 
falness  with  which  I  transcribe  them  as  a  proof 
of  the  deep  interest  I  take  in  your  welfare,  and 
of  my  anxiety  that  the  interference  of  your 
friends  may  be  justified  by  your  future  conduct  * 


A  D.  179U.1  JOSEPHINE  AT  MALMA/SON    145 


Correspondence  Intercepted.  False  charge*  against  Josephine. 

For  some  time  a  very  constant  correspond- 
ence was  kept  up  between  Napoleon  and  Jose- 
phine, but  after  the  destruction  of  the  French 
fleet  by  Lord  Nelson  in  the  Bay  of  Aboukir,  and 
vrhen  the  Mediterranean  had  become  completely 
blocked  up  by  English  cruisers,  almost  every 
letter  was  intercepted. 

For  political  purposes,  there  were  many  who 
wished  to  destroy  the  influence  which  Jose- 
phine had  acquired  over  the  mind  of  her  illus- 
trious husband.  In  the  accomplishment  of  this 
plan,  they  endeavored,  in  every  way  in  their 
power,  to  excite  the  jealousy  of  Napoleon.  The 
very  efforts  which  Josephine  was  making  to  at- 
tract the  most  influential  men  in  Paris  to  her 
saloon  were  represented  to  him  as  indications 
of  levity  of  character,  and  of  a  spirit  of  unpar- 
donable coquetry.  The  enemies  of  Josephine 
had  their  influential  agents  in  the  camp  of 
Napoleon,  and  with  malice,  never  weary,  they 
whispered  these  suspicions  into  his  ear.  The 
jealousy  of  his  impassioned  nature  was  strongly 
aroused.  In  his  indignation,  he  wrote  to  Jo- 
sephine in  terms  of  great  severity,  accusing  her 
of  "  playing  the  coquette  with  all  the  world." 
She  was  very  deeply  wounded  by  these  unjust 
nupioions,  and  wrote  to  him  a  letter  in  reply, 
19—10 


146  JOSEPHINE.           [AD.  1749 

lUpoleon'i  confidence  Impaired.  Employment!  of  JoMphiM 

which,  for  tenderness  and  delicacy  of  sentiment, 
and  the  expression  of  conscious  innocence,  if 
hardly  surpassed  by  any  thing  which  has  e\ei 
been  written.  Her  letter  was  intercepted,  an^ 
Napo.eon  never  saw  it.  For  many  months  near- 
ly all  communication  with  the  army  of  Egypt 
was  cut  off  by  the  vigilance  of  the  English. 
There  were  flying  reports  ever  reaching  the  eai 
of  Josephine  of  disaster  to  the  army,  and  even 
of  the  death  of  Napoleon.  Josephine  was  at 
times  in  great  distress.  She  knew  not  the  fate 
of  her  husband  or  her  son.  She  knew  that,  by 
the  grossest  deception,  her  husband's  confidence 
in  her  had  been  greatly  impaired,  and  she  feared 
that,  should  he  return,  she  might  never  be  able 
to  regain  his  affections.  Still,  she  devoted  her- 
self with  unwearied  diligence  in  watching  over 
all  his  interests,  and  though  her  heart  was  often 
oppressed  with  anguish,  she  did  every  thing  in 
her  power  to  retain  the  aspect  of  cheerfulnes* 
and  of  sanguine  hope.  One  of  her  favorite 
amusements — the  favorite  amusement  of  almost 
svery  refined  mind — was  found  in  the  oultiva 
tion  of  flowers.  She  passed  a  portion  of  everj 
pleasant  day  with  Hortense  among  the  flower- 
beds, with  the  hoe,  and  the  watering-pot,  and 
the  pruning- knife.  Hortense,  though  »he  loved 


A..D.1799.]  JOSEPHINE  AT  MALMAISON.  147 

•ha  rlcitt  the  poor.  She  comfort*  the  afflicted. 

the  society  of  her  mother,  was  not  fond  of  these 
employments,  and  in  subsequent  life  she  never 
turned  to  them  for  a  solace.  With  Josephine, 
however,  this  taste  remained  unchanged  through 
life.  She  was  also  very  fond  of  leaving  the  aris- 
tocratic walks  of  Malmaison,  and  sauntering 
through  the  lanes  and  the  rural  roads,  where  she 
could  enter  the  cottages  of  the  peasants,  and 
listen  to  their  simple  tales  of  joy  and  grief.  To 
many  of  these  dwellings  her  visit  was  as  the 
mission  of  an  angel.  Her  purse  was  never 
closed  against  the  wants  of  penury.  But  that 
which  rendered  her  still  more  a  ministering 
spirit  to  the  poor  was  that  her  heart  was  ever 
open,  with  its  full  flood  of  sympathy,  to  share 
the  grief  of  their  bereavements,  and  to  rejoice 
in  their  joy.  When  she  sat  upon  the  throne 
of  France,  and  even  long  after  she  sank  into 
the  repose  of  the  grave,  the  region  around  Mal- 
maison was  full  of  recitals  of  her  benevolence. 
Aristocratic  pride  at  tunes  affected  to  look  down 
with  contempt  upon  the  elevated  enjoyments  of 
i  noble  heart. 

Thus  occupied  in  pleading  with  those  in 
power  for  those  of  illustrious  birth  who  had,  by 
emigration,  forfeited  both  property  and  life ;  in 
nailing  the  sick  and  the  sorrowing  in  the  hum- 


148  JOSEPHINE.         [A.D.  1799 


Bene Yolenee  of  Josephine's  heart 


ble  cottages  around  her ;  in  presiding  with 
queenly  dignity  over  the  brilliant  soirees  in  her 
own  saloons,  where  talent  and  rank  were  ever 
assembled,  and  in  diffusing  the  sunlight  of  her 
own  cheerful  heart  throughout  the  whole  house- 
hold at  Malmaison,  Josephine,  through  weary 
months,  awaited  tidings  from  her  absent  bus* 
Mttd. 


A.D.1799.]  WIFE  OF  FIRST  CONSUL.     149 

Deplorable  eundttioB  of  Franc*.  The  "  pear"  now  rip*. 


CHAPTER   VIIL 

JOSEPHINE  THE  WIFE  OF  THE  FIRST 
CONSUL. 

f  I1HE  winter  of  1799  opened  upon  France  in 
-"-  the  deepest  gloom.  The  French  were  wea- 
ry of  the  horrors  of  the  Revolution.  All  busi- 
ness was  at  a  stand.  The  poor  had  neither 
employment  nor  bread.  Starvation  reigned  in 
the  capital.  The  Austrians  had  again  entered 
Italy,  and  beaten  the  French  at  almost  every 
point.  No  tidings  were  received  from  Bona- 
parte and  the  army  in  Egypt  Rumors  of  the 
death  of  Napoleon  and  of  a  disastrous  state  of 
the  enterprise  filled  the  city.  The  government 
at  Paris,  composed  of  men  who  had  emerged 
from  obscurity  in  the  storms  of  revolution,  was 
imbecile  and  tyrannical  in  the  extreme.  The 
nation  was  weary  beyond  endurance  of  the  strife 
of  contending  factions,  and  ardently  desiied 
•ome  strong  arm  to  be  extended  for  the  restora- 
tion of  order,  and  for  the  establishment  of  an 
efficient  and  reputable  government  "  The 
pear  was  ripe." 


150  JOSEPHINE  [A.D.  1799 

Braing  party.  Landing  of  Napoleon  at  Frejo* 

On  the  evening  of  the  9th  of  November,  a 
large  an:  very  brilliant  party  was  assembled  in 
Paris  at  the  house  of  M.  Gohier,  president  of 
the  Directory.  The  company  included  all  the 
most  distinguished  persons  then  resident  in  the 
metropolis.  Josephine,  being  in  Paris  at  that 
time,  was  one  of  the  guests.  About  midnight, 
the  gentlemen  and  ladies  were  gathering  around 
a  supper  table  very  sumptuously  spread,  when 
they  were  startled  by  a  telegraphic  announce- 
ment, communicated  to  their  host,  that  Bona- 
parte had  landed  that  morning  at  Frejus,  a 
small  town  upon  the  Mediterranean  shore.  The 
announcement  created  the  most  profound  sen- 
sation. All  knew  that  Napoleon  had  not  re- 
turned at  that  critical  moment  without  an  ob- 
ject Many  were  pale  with  apprehension,  con- 
scions  that  his  popularity  with  the  army  would 
enable  him  to  wrest  from  them  their  ill-gotten 
power.  Others  were  elated  with  hope.  Yet 
universal  embarrassment  prevailed.  None  dared 
to  express  their  thoughts.  No  efforts  could  re- 
vive the  conviviality  of  the  evening,  and  the 
party  soon  dispersed. 

Josephine,  with  the  deepest  emotion,  hast- 
ened home,  immediately  summoned  her  car- 
riage, and,  taking  with  her  Hortense  and  Louis 


A.D.1799.]  WIFE  OF  FIRST  CONSUL.     151 

Josephine  hMteni  to  meet  klau  Tbej  crou  «»ch  cJher'i  path. 

Bonaparte,  set  out,  without  allowing  an  hoar 
for  repose,  to  meet  her  husband.  She  was  very 
anxious  to  have  an  interview  with  him  before 
her  enemies  should  have  an  opportunity  to  fill 
his  mind  with  new  accusations  against  her 
The  most  direct  route  from  Paris  to  Frejns 
passes  through  the  city  of  Lyons.  There  is 
another  and  more  retired  route,  not  frequently 
traveled,  but  which  Napoleon,  for  some  un- 
known reason,  took.  It  was  a  long  journey  of 
weary,  weary  leagues,  over  hills  and  plains.  Jo- 
sephine  alighted  not  for  refreshment  or  slum- 
ber, but  with  fresh  relays  of  horses,  night  and 
day,  pressed  on  to  meet  her  spouse.  When  she 
arrived  at  Lyons,  to  her  utter  consternation,  she 
hea* '  that  Napoleon  had  taken  the  other  route, 
and,  some  forty-eight  hours  before,  had  passed 
her  on  the  way  to  Paris.  No  words  can  describe 
the  anguish  which  these  tidings  caused  her.  Her 
husband  would  arrive  in  1'aris  and  find  her  ab- 
sent He  would  immediately  be  surrounded 
by  those  who  would  try  to  feed  his  jealousy. 
Two  or  three  days  must  elapse  ere  she  could 
poasibly  retrace  her  steps.  Napoleon  arrived  in 
Paris  the  10th  of  November.  It  was  not  until 
nearly  midnight  of  the  13th  that  Josephine  re- 
turned Worn  out  with  the  fatigues  of  travel- 


JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1799 


JoMpklae'f  encmlM  succeed  In  roofing  the  anger  of  MapoJeon. 


ing,  of  anxiety,  and  of  watching,  she  drove  with 
a  heavy  heart  to  their  house  in  the  Rue  Chan- 
tereine 

The  enemies  whom  Josephine  had  most  to 
fear  were  the  brothers  and  the  sisters-in-law  of 
Napoleon.  They  were  entirely  dependent  upon 
their  illustrious  brother  for  their  own  advance- 
ment in  life,  and  were  exceedingly  jealous  of 
the  influence  which  Josephine  had  exerted  over 
his  mind.  They  feared  that  she  would  gain  an 
exclusive  empire  where  they  wished  also  to 
reign.  Taking  advantage  of  Josephine's  ab- 
sence, they  had  succeeded  in  rousing  Napoleon's 
indignation  to  the  highest  pitch.  They  accused 
her  of  levity,  of  extravagance,  of  forgetralness 
of  him,  and  of  ever  playing  the  coquette  with 
all  the  debauchees  of  Paris.  Napoleon,  stimu- 
lated by  that  pride  which  led  the  Roman  em- 
peror to  say,  "  Ceesar's  wife  must  not  be  sus- 
pected," threatened  loudly  "  divorce— open  and 
public  divorce."  Said  one  maliciously  to  him, 
"  She  will  appear  before  you  with  all  her  fasci- 
nations, explain  matters ;  you  will  forgive  all, 
and  tranquillity  will  be  restored."  "  Never ! 
never !"  exclaimed  the  irritated  general,  strid- 
ing to  and  fro  through  the  room.  "  I  forgive ! 
never !  You  know  me.  Were  I  not  sure  of 


A.D.1799.)  WIFE  OF  FIRST  CONSUL. 


Mr*  ting  of  Josephine  and  Eugene.  Che  i»  repuUed  bj  Napoleon. 

my  resolution,  I  would  pluck  out  this  heart  and 
oast  it  into  the  fire." 

Such  was  the  mood  of  mind  in  which  Napo- 
ison  was  prepared  to  receive  Josephine,  after  an 
absence  of  eighteen  months.  Josephine  and 
Hortense  alighted  in  the  court-yard,  and  wero 
immediately  enfolded  in  the  embraces  of  Eu- 
gene, who  was  anxiously  awaiting  their  arrival. 
With  trembling  steps  and  a  throbbing  heart, 
Josephine,  accompanied  by  her  son  and  daugh- 
ter, ascended  the  stairs  to  a  small  circular  fam- 
ily room  where  they  expected  to  find  Napoleon. 
He  was  there  with  his  brother  Joseph.  As  his 
wife  and  her  children  entered  the  room,  Napo- 
leon glanced  sternly  at  them,  and  instantly  saia 
to  Josephine,  in  a  severe  and  commanding  tone, 
almost  before  she  had  crossed  the  threshold, 

"  Madame !  it  is  my  wish  that  you  retire  im- 
mediately to  Malmaison." 

Josephine  came  near  falling  lifeless  upon  the 
floor.  She  was  caught  in  the  arms  of  Eugene, 
wto,  in  the  most  profound  grief,  had  kept  near 
the  side  of  his  revered  and  beloved  mother.  He 
•apported  her  fainting  steps,  as,  sobbing  with 
anguish,  she  silently  retired  to  her  apartment. 
Napoleon,  greatly  agitated,  traversed  the  room 
with  hasty  strides.  The  sight  of  Jceephino  had 


154  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1799 

Jo*»phl««'i  prompt  obedlme*.  Nap«l*on  r*le»t* 

rekindled  all  his  love,  and  he  was  struggling 
with  desperate  efforts  to  cherish  his  sense  of 
wrong,  and  to  fortify  himself  against  any  return 
of  clemency. 

In  a  few  moments,  Josephine  and  Hortense, 
with  Eugene,  were  heard  descending  the  stairs 
to  leave  the  house.  It  was  midnight.  For  a 
week  Josephine  had  lived  in  her  carriage  almost 
without  food  or  sleep.  Nothing  but  intensity 
of  excitement  had  prevented  her  from  sinking 
down  hi  utter  weariness  and  exhaustion.  It 
was  a  drive  of  thirty  miles  to  M almaison.  Na- 
poleon was  not  prepared  for  such  prompt  obe- 
dience. Even  his  stern  heart  could  not  resist 
its  instinctive  pleadings  for  his  wife  and  her 
daughter.  He  hastened  from  his  room,  and, 
though  his  pride  would  not  allow  him  directly 
to  urge  Josephine  to  remain,  he  insisted  upon 
Eugene's  returning,  and  urged  it  La  iuoh  a  way 
that  he  came  back,  leading  with  him  his  mother 
ind  his  sister.  Napoleon,  however,  addressed 
not  a  word  to  either  of  them.  Josephine  threw 
herself  upon  a  couch  hi  her  apartment,  and  Na- 
poleon, in  gloomy  silence,  entered  his  cabinet 
Two  days  of  wretchedness  passed  away,  during 
which  no  intercourse  took  place  between  th« 
estranged  parties.  But  the  anger  of  the  ho* 


A.D  1799  |   WIFE  OP  FIRST  CONSUL.  157 

The  reconciliation.  Napoleon  Tanqulahert 

band  was  gradually  subsiding.  Love  for  Jose- 
phine was  slowly  gaining  strength  in  his  h«art 
On  the  third  day,  his  pride  and  passion  were 
sufficiently  subdued  to  allow  him  to  enter  the 
apartment  where  Josephine  and  Hortense  had 
kept  themselves  secluded,  awaiting  his  pleasure. 
Josephine  was  seated  at  a  toilet  table,  with  her 
face  buried  in  her  hands,  and  absorbed  in  the 
profoundest  grief.  On  the  table  were  exposed 
the  letters  which  she  had  received  from  Napo- 
leon during  his  absence,  and  which  she  had  ev- 
idently been  reading.  Hortense  was  standing 
silently  and  pensively  in  an  alcove  by  the  win- 
dow, half  concealed  by  the  curtain.  Napoleon 
advanced  with  an  irresolute  step,  hesitated  for 
a  moment,  and  then  said,  "  Josephine !"  She 
started  up  at  the  sound  of  that  well-known 
voice,  and,  her  beautiful  countenance  all  suf- 
fused with  tears,  mournfully  exclaimed,  "  Mon 
ami"  in  that  peculiar  tone,  so  pathetic,  so  mu 
sical,  which  ever  thrilled  upon  the  heart  of  Na 
ooleon.  "  My  friend"  was  the  term  of  endear 
ment  with  which  she  invariably  addressed  ler 
husband.  Napoleon  was  vanquished.  He  ex« 
tended  his  hand  to  his  deeply-wronged  wife. 
8he  threw  herself  into  his  arms,  pillowed  her 
aching  head  upon  his  bosom,  and  in  the  full  new 


158  JOSEPHINE.          [AD.  1799 


Reception  of  Napoleon  on  his  return  to  Fruoa. 

of  blended  joy  and  anguish  wept  convulsively 
An  explanation  of  several  hours  ensued.  Everj 
<jhade  of  suspicion  was  obliterated  from  his  mind 
He  received  Josephine  again  to  his  entire  con- 
fidence, and  this  confidence  was  never  again  in- 
terrupted. 

When  Napoleon  landed  at  Frejus,  he  wa«  re- 
ceived with  the  most  enthusiastic  demonstra- 
tion of  delight.  There  was  a  universal  im- 
pression that  the  hero  of  Italy,  the  conqueror 
of  Egypt,  had  returned  thus  unexpectedly  to 
France  for  the  accomplishment  of  some  mag- 
nificent enterprise ;  yet  no  one  knew  what  to 
anticipate.  The  moment  the  frigate  dropped 
anchor  in  the  bay,  and  it  was  announced  that 
Napoleon  was  on  board,  thousands  surrounded 
the  vessel  in  boats,  and  the  air  was  filled  with 
enthusiastic  acclamations.  His  journey  to  Paris 
was  one  continued  scene  of  triumph.  Crowds 
gathered  around  him  at  every  stopping-place, 
intoxicated  with  joy.  The  bells  rang  their 
merriest  peals ;  the  booming  of  cannon  echoed 
along  the  bill  sides,  and  brilliant  bonfires  by 
night  blazed  upon  every  eminence.  Upon  his 
arrival  in  Paris,  the  soldiers,  recognizing  their 
leader  in  so  many  brilliant  victories,  greeted 
him  with  indescribable  enthusiasm,  and  oriec 


A.D.17yy.J  WIFE  OF  Fiftsx  CONSUL.  159 

Ha  »vertkr»ir»  &•  Directory.  JU  U  nutalMd  by  tka  p*opW 

of  "  Vive  Bonaparte !"  resounded  through  the 
metropolis.  His  saloon,  ever  thronged  with 
generals  and  statesmen,  and  all  who  were  most 
illustrious  in  intellect  and  rank,  resembled  the 
court  of  a  monarch.  Even  the  most  prominent 
men  in  the  Directory,  disgusted  with  the  prog, 
ress  of  measures  which  they  could  not  control, 
urged  him  to  grasp  the  reins  of  power,  assuring 
him  that  there  was  no  hope  for  France  but  in 
his  strong  arm.  In  less  than  four  weeks  from 
his  arrival  in  Paris,  the  execrated  government 
was  overturned.  Napoleon,  Si6yes,  and  Duoos 
were  appointed  consuls,  and  twenty-five  mem- 
bers were  appointed  from  each  of  the  councils 
to  unite  with  the  consuls  in  forming  a  new  Con- 
stitution. One  unanimous  voice  of  approval 
ros«  from  all  parts  of  France  in  view  of  this 
change.  No  political  movement  could  take 
place  more  strongly  confirmed  by  the  popular 
will.  Napoleon  hastened  from  the  scenes  of 
peril  and  agitation  through  which  he  had  passed 
in  the  accomplishment  of  this  change,  that  he 
might  be  the  first  to  announce  to  Josephine  the 
political  victory  he  had  achieved. 

During  the  perilous  day,  when,  in  the  midst 
of  outcries,  daggers,  and  drawn  swords,  he  had 
been  contending  with  the  Council  of  the  Fiv« 


160  JOSEPHINE.          [AJD.179& 


Painful  iuspenw  of  Josephine.  Napoleon  reliere*  It 

Hundred,  he  could  find  not  even  one  moment 
to  dispatch  a  note  from  St.  Cloud  to  his  wife. 
The  previous  day  he  had  kept  her  constantly 
informed  of  the  progress  of  events.  Josephine 
remained  throughout  the  whole  of  the  19th  of 
November,  from  morning  until  evening,  without 
sight  or  tidings  of  her  husband.  She  knew  that, 
in  the  fierce  strife  of  parties  in  France,  there 
was  no  safety  for  life ;  and  when  the  darkness 
of  night  settled  down  around  her,  and  still  no 
word  from  her  Napoleon,  her  anxiety  amounted 
almost  to  distraction.  The  rumbling  of  every 
carriage  upon  the  pavement— every  noise  in  the 
streets  aroused  her  hopes  or  her  fears.  Worn 
out  with  anxiety,  at  midnight  she  threw  herself 
upon  her  bed,  but  not  to  sleep.  Several  weary 
hours  of  suspense  lingered  slowly  along,  when, 
at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  she  heard  the 
well-known  footsteps  of  her  husband  upon  the 
stairs. 

She  sprang  to  meet  him.  He  fondly  clasped 
her  in  his  arms,  and  assured  her  that  he  had 
act  spoken  to  a  single  individual  since  he  had 
taken  the  oaths  of  office,  that  the  voice  of  hia 
Josephine  might  be  the  first  to  congratulate  him 
upon  hia  virtual  accession  to  the  empire  of 
Prance.  An  animated  conversation  ensued, 


A.D.  1800.]  WIFE  OF  FIRST  CONSUL.     161 

Hlf  usurping  ambition.  Remark  of  the  Abb*  81«jret 

and  then  Napoleon,  throwing  himself  upon  his 
oouoh  for  a  few  moments'  repose,  gayly  said, 
"  Good  night,  my  Josephine  !  to-morrow  we 
sleep  in  the  Luxembourg." 

The  next  day  the  three  consuls  met  in  Paris. 
His  colleagues,  however,  immediately  perceived 
that  the  towering  ambition  of  Napoleon  would 
brook  no  rival.  He  showed  them  the  absurdity 
of  their  plans,  and  compelled  them  to  assent  to 
the  superior  wisdom  of  his  own.  The  untiring 
vigor  of  his  mind,  the  boldness  and  energy  of 
his  thoughts,  and  his  intuitive  and  almost  mi- 
raculous familiarity  with  every  branch  of  polit- 
ical science,  overawed  his  associates,  and  the 
whole  power  passed,  with  hardly  the  slightest 
resistance,  into  his  own  hands.  Immediately 
after  their  first  interview,  the  Abbe  Si6yes,  who 
combined  great  weakness  with  extensive  knowl- 
edge, remarked  to  Talleyrand  and  others,  "  Gen- 
tlemen,  I  perceive  that  we  have  got  a  master 
Bonaparte  can  do  and  will  do  every  thing  him- 
self. But,"  he  continued,  after  a  pause,  "it  is 
better  to  submit  than  to  protract  dissensions 
forever." 

In  this  most  astonishing  revolution,  thus  sud 
denly  accomplished,  and  without  the  shedding 
of  a  drop  of  blood,  Napoleon  was  much  indebted 

19—11 


JOSEPB'NE.  (A.D    1800 


JoMpblne  Mcurei  (Hend*  to  Napoleon.     Residence  at  the  Luxembourg 

to  he  influence  which  his  wife  had  exerted  in 
his  behalf  during  his  absence  in  Egypt.  The 
dinners  she  had  given,  the  guests  the  had  en- 
tertained in  her  saloons  evening  after  evening, 
com  sting  of  the  most  distinguished  scholars, 
and  statesmen,  and  generals  in  the  metropolis, 
had  contributed  greatly  to  the  popularity  of  her 
husbav,  d,  and  had  surrounded  him  with  devoted 
friends.  Napoleon  ever  acknowledged  his  obli- 
gations to  Josephine  for  the  essential  service 
she  had  thus  rendered  him. 

The  next  morning  Napoleon  and  Josephine 
removed  ft,>m  their  elegant  yet  comparatively 
plebeian  residence  in  the  Rue  Chantereine  to 
the  palace  of  the  Luxembourg.  This,  however, 
was  but  the  stepping-stone  to  the  Tuilleries, 
the  world-renowned  abode  of  the  monarohs  of 
France.  The)  remained  for  two  months  at  the 
Luxembourg.  The  energies  of  Napoleon  were 
employed  every  moment  in  promoting  changes 
in  the  internal  affairs  of  France,  which  ever 
his  bitterest  enemies  admit  were  marked  with 
the  most  eminent  wisdom  and  benevolence. 
During  the  two  months  of  their  residence  at 
the  Luxembourg,  no  domestic  event  of  import- 
ance occurred,  except  the  marriage  of  Mural 
with  Caroline,  the  sister  of  Napoleon.  Caroline 


A.D.  1800.J   WIFE  OF  FIRST  CONSUL.     163 

Mirriage  of  Marat  and  Caroline.  Tne  Tnillene*  ref  urnUhod 

was  exceedingly  beautiful.  Murat  was  one  of 
the  favorite  aids  of  Bonapa/te.  Their  nuptial* 
were  celebrated  with  great  splendor,  and  the  gay 
Parisians  began  again  to  be  amused  with  some- 
thing like  the  glitter  of  royalty. 

Each  day  Napoleon  became  more  popular 
and  his  power  more  firmly  established.  Soon 
all  France  was  prepared  to  see  the  first  consul 
take  up  his  residence  in  the  ancient  apartments 
of  the  kings  of  France.  The  Tuilleries  had 
been  sacked  again  and  again  by  the  mob.  The 
gorgeous  furniture,  the  rich  paintings,  and  all 
the  voluptuous  elegance  which  the  wealth  of 
Louis  XIV.  could  create,  had  been  thrown  into 
the  court-yard  and  consumed  by  the  infuriated 
populace.  Roy  alty  itself  had  been  pursued  and 
ir suited  in  its  most  sacred  retreats. 

By  slow  and  cautious  advances,  Napoleon 
refurnished  these  magnificent  saloons.  The 
emblems  of  Jacobin  misrule  were  silently  ef 
faced.  Statues  of  Brutus  and  Washington,  of 
Demosthenes,  and  of  others  renowned  for  illus- 
trious  deeds,  were  placed  in  the  vacant  niches, 
and  the  Tuilleries  again  appeared  resplendent 
as  in  the  days  of  pristine  pride  and  power. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  February, 
1800,  all  Paris  was  in  commotion  to  witness 


164  JOSEPHINE.          [A  D.  1800 

Napoleon  and  Josephine  take  up  their  residence  in  the  TniUeriei. 

•the  transfer  of  the  embryo  court  of  the  first 
3onsul  and  his  colleagues  from  the  Luxembourg 
to  the  Tuilleries.  Already  the  colleagues  of 
Napoleon  had  become  so  entirely  eclipsed  by 
the  superior  brilliance  of  their  imperious  asso- 
oiate  that  their  names  were  almost  forgotten 
I  he  royal  apartments  were  prepared  for  Napo- 
leon, while  those  in  the  Pavilion  of  Flora  were 
assigned  to  the  two  other  consuls.  The  three 
consuls  entered  a  magnificent  carriage,  drawn 
by  six  white  horses.  A  gorgeous  train  of  offi- 
cers, with  six  thousand  picked  troops  in  the 
richest  uniform,  surrounded  the  cortege.  Many 
of  the  long-abolished  usages  of  royalty  were 
renewed  upon  that  day.  Twenty  thousand 
soldiers,  in  most  imposing  military  array,  were 
drawn  up  before  the  palace.  The  moment  the 
carriage  appeared,  the  very  heavens  seemed 
rent  with  their  cries,  "  Vive  le  premier  consul !" 
The  two  associate  consuls  were  ciphers.  They 
sat  at  his  side  as  pages  to  embellish  his  triumph. 
This  day  placed  Napoleon  in  reality  upon  the 
throne  of  France,  and  Josephine  that  evening 
moved,  a  queen,  in  the  apartments  hallowed 
by  the  beauty  and  the  sufferings  of  Maria  An- 
toinette. 

The  suite  of  rooms  appropriated  to  the  wif« 


AD.  1800.J  WIPE  OF  FIRST  CONSUL.     165 

Apartments  of  Josephine.  Her  drew.  Her  facial  triumph 

of  the  first  consul  consisted  of  two  magnificent 
saloons,  with  private  apartments  adjoining.  No- 
French  monarch  ever  sauntered  through  a  more 
dazzling  scene  than  that  which  graced  the  draw- 
ing-rooms of  Josephine  on  this  occasion.  Em- 
bassadors  from  nearly  all  the  courts  of  Europe 
were  present.  The  army  contributed  its  ut- 
most display  of  rank  and  military  pomp  to  em- 
bellish the  triumph  of  its  most  successful  gen- 
eral. And  the  metropolis  contributed  all  that 
it  still  retained  of  brilliance  in  ancestral  renown 
or  in  intellectual  achievement. 

When  Josephine  entered  the  gorgeously-illu- 
minated apartments  of  the  palace,  leaning  upon 
the  arm  of  Talleyrand,  and  dressed  in  the  ele- 
gance of  the  most  perfect  simplicity,  a  murmur 
of  admiration  arose  from  the  whole  assembly. 
She  was  attired  in  a  robe  of  white  muslin.  Her 
hair  fell  in  graceful  ringlets  upon  her  neck  and 
shoulders.  A  necklace  of  pearls  of  great  value 
completed  her  costume.  The  queenly  elegance 
of  her  figure,  the  inimitable  grace  of  her  move- 
ments, the  peculiar  conversational  tact  she  po^ 
sessed,  and  the  melody  of  a  voice  which,  onoe 
heard,  never  was  forgotten,  gave  to  Josephine, 
on  this  eventful  eveni>%  a  social  triumph  cor- 
responding with  th»t  tfhich  Napoleon  had  r^ 


166  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1800 

J<wephlne  tha  Queen  of  Heart*.  Her  varied  accomplUhmenta 

oeived  during  the  day.  She  entered  the  room* 
to  welcome  her  guests  before  her  husband.  As 
*he  made  the  tour  of  the  apartments,  supported 
oy  the  minister,  whose  commanding  figure  tow- 
ered above  all  the  rest,  she  was  first  introduced 
to  the  foreign  embassadors,  and  then  to  othert 
of  distinguished  name  and  note.  "Napoleon 
wins  battles,  but  Josephine  wins  hearts."  This 
was  the  all-appropriate  theater  for  the  triumph 
of  Josephine.  Here  she  was  entirely  at  home. 
Instinct  taught  her  every  thing  that  was  grace- 
ful and  pleasing.  Etiquette,  that  stern  tyrant 
so  necessary  for  the  control  of  common  minds, 
was  compelled  to  bow  in  subjection  to  Jose- 
phine, for  her  actions  became  a  higher  law.  In 
the  exuberance  of  benevolent  joy,  she  floated 
through  this  brilliant  scene,  wherever  she  ap- 
peared exciting  admiration,  though  she  sought 
only  to  diffuse  enjoyment. 

Josephine  was  now  about  thirty-three  yearc 
of  age,  and  while  in  personal  charms  she  re 
tained  all  the  fascination  of  more  youthful  years, 
her  mind,  elevated  and  ennobled  by  reverses  and 
sufferings  most  magnanimously  borne,  and  cul- 
tivated by  the  daily  exercise  of  its  rich  endow- 
ments, enabled  her  to  pass  from  the  circles  of 
fashion  to  the  circles  of  science,  from  those  wh« 


/V.D.1800.J    WlFB  OF  Fl*8T  COJTSUL.       167 

Symmetry  of  bar  fora.  Attrmc ttTeneu  of  bar  canTor§atlo« 

thought  only  of  the  accomplishments  of  the  per- 
son  to  those  who  dwelt  in  the  loftiest  region* 
of  the  intellect,  and  to  be  equally  admired  jy 
both. 

Her  figure  appears  to  have  been  molded  into 
the  absolute  perfection  of  the  female  frame,  nei- 
ther too  large  for  the  utmost  delicacy  of  femi- 
nine beauty,  nor  too  small  for  queenly  dignity. 
The  exquisite  symmetry  of  her  form  and  the 
elasticity  of  her  step  gave  an  etherial  aspect  to 
her  movements.  Her  features,  of  Grecian  out- 
line, were  finely  modeled,  and  through  them  aD 
the  varying  emotions  of  the  soul  were  unceas- 
ingly beaming.  No  one  probably  ever  possessed 
in  a  higher  degree  this  resistless  charm  of  femi- 
nine loveliness.  Her  eyes  were  of  a  deep  blue, 
and  possessed  a  winning  tenderness  of  expres- 
sion when  reposing  upon  those  she  loved  which 
could  not  be  resisted.  Napoleon,  even  when 
most  agitated  by  the  conflicts  of  his  stormy  life, 
waa  speedily  subdued  by  the  tranquilizing  pow- 
er of  her  looks  of  love.  But  the  tone  and  mod- 
ulations of  her  voice  in  conversation  constituted 
the  most  remarkable  attraction  of  this  most  at- 
tractive woman.  No  one  could  listen  to  her 
uparkling,  flowing,  musical  words  without  feel- 
ing the  fascination  of  their  strange  melody 


168  JOSEPHINE  [A.D.  1800 

Bweetnesi  of  Josephine's  voice.  Attractions  of  Malmaisoa 


"  The  first  applauses  of  the  French  people," 
says  Napoleon,  "  fell  upon  my  ear  sweet  as  the 
voice  of  Josephine." 

The  rural  charms  of  Malmaison,  however, 
exerted  a  more  powerful  sway  over  both  the  first 
consul  and  his  companion  than  the  more  splen- 
did attractions  of  the  Tuilleries.  The  Revolu- 
tionary government  had  abolished  the  Sabbath, 
and  appointed  every  tenth  day  for  rest  and  rec- 
reation. Napoleon  and  Josephine  habitually 
spent  this  day  at  Malmaison.  There,  in  the 
retirement  of  green  fields  and  luxuriant  groves, 
surrounded  by  those  scenes  of  nature  which  had 
peculiar  charms  for  them  both,  they  found  that 
quiet  happiness  which  is  in  vain  sought  amid 
the  turmoil  of  the  camp  or  the  splendor  of  the 
court.  Josephine,  in  particular,  here  found  her 
most  serene  and  joyous  hours.  She  regretted 
the  high  ambition  of  her  husband,  while,  at  the 
same  time,  she  felt  a  wife's  pride  and  gratifica- 
tion in  view  of  the  honors  which  were  so  pro* 
fusely  heaped  upon  him.  It  delighted  her  to 
see  him  here  lay  aside  the  cares  of  state,  and 
enjoy  with  her  the  unostentatious  pleasures  of 
the  flower-garden  and  the  farm -yard.  And 
when  the  hour  came  for  them  to  return  from 
their  rural  villa  to  their  city  palace,  Napoleoa 


\.D.  1800.]  WIFE  OF  FIRST  CONSUL.     169 

The  danger*  of  greatneM.  Josephine's  anxiety  and  caro 

often  said,  with  a  sigh,  "  Now  it  is  necessary 
for  us  to  go  and  put  on  again  the  yoke  of  mis- 
ery." 

The  dangers  of  greatness  soon  began  to  hov- 
er around  the  path  of  the  first  consul.  Jose- 
phine was  continually  alarmed  with  rumors  of 
conspiracies  and  plots  of  assassination.  The 
utter  indifference  of  Napoleon  to  all  such  perils, 
and  his  entire  disregard  of  all  precautionary 
measures,  only  increased  the  anxiety  of  his  wife. 
The  road  leading  from  Paris  to  Malmaison 
wound  through  a  wild  district,  then  but  thinly 
inhabited,  and  which  presented  many  facilities 
for  deeds  of  violence.  Whenever  Napoleon  was 
about  to  traverse  this  road,  Josephine  sent  the 
servants  of  their  private  establishment  to  scru- 
tinize all  its  lurking-places  where  any  foes 
might  be  concealed.  Napoleon,  though  grati- 
fied by  this  kind  care,  often  amused  and  good- 
naturedly  teased  Josephine  with  most  ludicrous 
accounts  of  the  perils  and  hair-breadth  escape* 
which  he  had  encountered.  She  also  had  large 
and  powerful  dogs  trained  to  guard  the  ground* 
of  Malmaison  from  any  intrusion  by  night. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  when  Napoleoo 
made  his  entry  into  the  Tuilleries,  he  remarked 
to  Bourrienne,  "It  is  not  enough  to  be  in  the 


£70  JOSEPHINE.          [AJX  1800 


Remark  of  Napoleon  to  Bourrienne. 

Tuilleries,  we  must  take  measures  to  remain 
there.  Who  has  not  inhabited  this  palace  ?  It 
has  been  the  abode  of  robbers— of  the  Conven- 
tion. There  is  your  brother's  house,  from  which, 
eight  years  ago,  we  saw  the  good  Louis  XVI. 
besieged  in  the  Tuilleries  and  carried  off  into 
captivity.  But  you  need  not  fear  a  repetition 
of  the  scene.  Let  them  attempt  it  with  me  if 
they  dare."  To  all  the  cautions  of  his  anxious 
wife  respecting  assassination,  he  ev-»r  quietly 
replied,  "  My  dear  Josephine,  they  dare  not 


A.D.  1800.]    CUAKAOTER    DEVELOPED.       171 

Second  Italian  campaign.  Its  brilliant  recnlto 


CHAPTER  IX. 
DEVELOPMENTS  OF  CHARACTER. 

DURING  Napoleon's  absence  in  Egypt  the 
Austrians  had  again  invaded  Italy.  The 
French  troops  had  been  beaten  in  many  bat- 
tles, and  driven  from  vast  extents  of  territory, 
over  which  Napoleon  had  caused  the  flag  of  the 
Republic  to  float  in  triumph.  The  first  consul 
having,  with  almost  superhuman  energy,  ar- 
ranged the  internal  affairs  of  his  government, 
now  turned  bis  thoughts  toward  the  defeated 
armies  of  France,  which  had  been  driven  back 
into  the  fastnesses  of  the  Alps.  "  I  must  go," 
said  he,  "  my  dear  Josephine.  But  I  will  not 
forget  you,  and  I  will  not  be  absent  long."  He 
bade  adieu  to  his  wife  at  the  Tuilleries  on  the 
7th  of  May,  1800.  At  midnight  of  the  2d  of 
July  he  returned,  having  been  absent  less  than 
twr  months.  In  that  brief  period  he  drove  the 
Austrian*  from  all  their  strongholds,  regained 
Italy,  and  by  a  campaign  more  brilliant  than 
any  other  which  history  has  ever  recorded,  add- 
ed  immeasurably  to  his  own  moral  powei. 
These  astonishing  victories  excited  the  Pari» 


172  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1800 

Napoleon'i  desire  to  leare  a  name.  A  faithful  correspondent 

ians  to  a  delirium  of  joy.  Night  after  night  the 
streets  were  illuminated,  and  whenever  Napo- 
leon appeared,  crowds  thronged  him,  filling  the 
air  with  their  acclamations.  These  triumphs, 
however,  instead  of  satisfying  Napoleon,  did  but 
add  fuel  to  his  all-absorbing  ambition.  "  A  few 
more  great  events,"  said  he,  "  like  those  of  this 
campaign,  and  I  may  really  descend  to  posteri- 
ty. But  still  it  is  little  enough.  I  have  con- 
quered, it  is  true,  in  less  than  two  years,  Cairo, 
Paris,  Milan.  But,  were  I  to  die  to-morrow, 
half  a  page  of  general  history  would,  after  ten 
centuries,  be  all  that  would  be  devoted  to  my 
exploits." 

During  his  absence  Josephine  passed  her 
time  at  Malmaison.  And  it  surely  is  indica- 
tive not  only  of  the  depth  of  Napoleon's  love  for 
Josephine,  but  also  of  his  appreciation  of  those 
delicate  attentions  which  could  touch  the  heart 
of  a  loving  wife,  that  in  this  busiest  of  cam 
paigns,  in  which,  by  day  and  by  night,  he  was 
upon  the  horse's  back,  with  hardly  one  moment 
allowed  for  refreshment  or  repose,  rarely  did  a 
single  day  pass  in  which  he  did  not  transmit 
some  token  of  affection  to  Malmaison.  Jose- 
phine daily  watched,  with  the  most  intense  in- 
terest the  arrival  of  the  courier  with  the  brie/ 


\.D.1800.]  CHARACTER  DEVELOPED.    173 

Delicate  attention*  of  Napoleon  to  Josephine.  Her  paitime*. 

and  almost  illegible  note  from  her  husband. 
Sometimes  the  blurred  and  blotted  lines  were 
hastily  written  upon  horseback,  with  the  pom- 
mel of  his  saddle  for  his  writing-desk.  Some- 
times they  were  written,  at  his  dictation,  by 
his  secretary,  upon  a  drum-head,  on  the  field 
of  carnage,  when  the  mangled  bodies  of  the  dy- 
ing and  the  dead  were  strewed  all  around  him, 
and  the  thunders  of  the  retreating  battle  were 
still  echoing  over  the  plains.  These  delicate 
attentions  to  his  wife  exhibit  a  noble  trait  in 
the  character  of  Napoleon.  And  she  must  have 
been  indeed  a  noble  woman  who  could  have  in- 
spired such  a  mind  with  esteem  and  tenderness 
BO  profound. 

Josephine  employed  much  of  her  time  in  su- 
perintending those  improvements  which  she 
thought  would  please  her  husband  on  his  re- 
turn ;  creating  for  him  pleasant  little  surprises, 
as  she  should  guide  his  steps  to  the  picturesque 
walk  newly  opened,  to  the  rustic  bridge  span- 
ning the  stream,  to  the  rural  pavilion,  where, 
in  the  evening  twilight,  they  could  commune. 
She  often  rode  on  horseback  with  Hortense, 
who  was  peculiarly  fond  of  all  those  pleasure! 
which  had  the  concomitants  of  graceful  display 

After  Napoleon's  triumphant  return  from  It 


174  JOSEPHINE.          [AD.  1800 

Retirement  at  Malmaiion.  Private  theatrical* 

aly,  the  visits  to  Malmaison  were  more  frequent 
than  ever  before.  Napoleon  and  Josephine  oft- 
en spent  several  days  there  ;  and  in  after  years 
they  frequently  spoke  of  these  hours  as  the 
pleasantest  they  had  passed  in  life.  The  agree- 
able retirement  of  Malmaison  was,  however, 
changed  into  enjoyment  more  public  and  social 
by  the  crowds  of  visitors  with  which  its  saloons 
and  parks  were  filled.  Josephine  received  her 
guests  with  republican  simplicity,  united  with 
the  utmost  elegance.  Her  reception-room  was 
continually  thronged  with  the  most  distinguish- 
ed officers  of  the  government,  renowned  gener- 
als, and  all  the  men  most  illustrious  for  birth 
and  talent  the  metropolis  contained. 

The  circle  assembled  here  was,  indeed,  a 
happy  one.  A  peculiar  bond  of  union  existed 
throughout  the  whole  household,  for  Napoleon, 
as  well  as  Josephine,  secured  the  most  devoted 
attachment  of  all  the  servants.  One  of  their  fa 
vorite  amusements  was  family  theatricals.  Eu- 
gene and  Hortense  took  an  active  part  in  these 
performances,  in  which  both  had  talents  to  excel 

But  the  favorite  and  most  characteristic 
amusement  at  Malmaison  was  the  game  of 
"*  Prisoners,"  a  oermmon  game  among  the  school- 
bo  v«  of  Prance,  though  comparatively  little 


A  I).  1800.]  CHARACTER  DEVELOPED     175 

The  gun*  of  "  Prtion«n."  The  mode  of  playing  it 

known  in  this  country.  The  company  is  divi- 
ded into  two  parties.  Those  who  are  appoint- 
ed leaders  choose  each  their  respective  sides 
Bounds  are  assigned  to  each  party,  and  a  par- 
ticular point  as  a  fortress.  If  any  one  is  caught 
away  from  the  fortress  by  one  who  left  his  own 
station  after  the  captive  left  the  hostile  fort,  he 
is  a  prisoner,  and  must  remain  at  the  appoint- 
ed prison  until  rescued.  For  instance,  Hor- 
tense  leaves  her  fortress,  and  cautiously  invades 
the  territory  of  the  enemy.  Josephine  darts 
after  her,  and  eagerly  pursues  her  over  the 
greensward.  Eugene,  who  remains  at  his  for- 
tress until  after  Josephine  left  hers,  bounds 
after  his  mother.  It  is  now  her  turn  to  flee. 
But  others  of  her  party,  who  have  remained 
under  the  protection  of  their  fortress,  rush  to  her 
rescue.  Eugene,  however,  succeeds  in  touch- 
ing his  mother  before  they  reach  him,  and  leads 
her  off  in  triumph  a  prisoner.  A  tree,  perhaps, 
at  a  little  distance,  is  her  prison.  Here  she  must 
remain  until  rescued  by  a  touch  from  one  of 
her  own  party.  But  if  the  one  who  is  rushing 
to  her  rescue  is  touched  by  one  of  the  other 
party  who  left  his  fortress  an  instant  later,  an- 
other captive  is  taken  to  stand  by  her  side. 
In  this  mimicry  of  war  Napoleon  always  le- 


176  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1800 

Napoleon'i  favorite  amusement  He  la  no  misanthrope 

lighted  to  engage.  After  dinner,  upon  th« 
lawn  at  Malmaison,  the  most  distinguished 
gentlemen  and  ladies,  not  of  France  only,  but 
of  all  Europe,  were  often  actively  and  most 
mirthfully  engaged  in  this  sport.  Kings,  and 
queens,  and  princes  of  the  blood  royal  were 
often  seen  upon  the  lawn  at  Malmaison  pursu- 
ing and  pursued.  Napoleon  and  Josephine,  and 
most  of  the  friends  who  surrounded  them,  were 
in  the  vigor  of  athletic  youth,  and,  in  entire 
abandonment  to  the  frolic  of  the  hour,  the  air 
resounded  with  their  shouts.  It  was  observed 
that  Napoleon  was  ever  anxious  to  choose  Jo- 
sephine as  the  first  on  his  side,  and  he  seemed 
nervously  excited,  if  she  was  taken  prisoner, 
until  she  was  rescued.  He  was  a  poor  runner, 
and  often  fell,  rolling  over  headlong  upon  the 
grass,  while  he  and  all  his  associates  were  con- 
vulsed with  laughter.  When  there  was  no  spe- 
cial engagement  demanding  attention,  this  sport 
often  continued  for  hours.  Napoleon  was  often 
taken  captive.  But  when  Josephine  was  im- 
prisoned, he  was  incessantly  clapping  his  hands, 
and  shouting,  "  A  rescue !  a  rescue  !"  till  she 
was  released.  A  gloomy  misanthrope,  wrapped 
in  self,  could  not  have  enjoyed  these  scenes  of 
innocent  hilarity 


A.. D.  1800.]  CHARACTER  DEVELOPED.     177 


JoMphine'i  expanalve  bonerolenoe. 


But  the  life  of  Josephine  was  not  devoted  to 
amusement.  While  she  entered  with  warmth 
into  these  sports,  being  the  soul  of  every  festive 
party,  her  heart  was  consecrated  to  the  promo- 
tion of  happiness  in  every  way  in  her  power. 
When  a  child,  playing  with  the  little  negresse? 
of  Martinique,  she  was  adored  as  their  queen 
When  in  penury,  crossing  the  Atlantic,  by  kind 
sympathy  manifested  for  the  sick  and  the  sor- 
rowful, she  won  the  hearts  of  the  seamen.  When 
a  prisoner,  under  sentence  of  death,  by  her 
cheerfulness,  her  forgetfulness  of  self,  and  her 
hourly  deeds  of  delicate  attention  to  others,  she 
became  an  object  of  universal  love  in  those  cells 
of  despair.  When  prosperity  again  dawned 
upon  her,  and  she  was  in  the  enjoyment  of  an 
ample  competence,  every  cottage  in  the  vicinity 
of  Malmaison  testified  to  her  benevolence.  And 
now,  when  placed  in  a  position  of  power,  all  her 
influence  was  exerted  to  relieve  the  misfortunes 
of  those  illustrious  men  whom  the  storms  of 
revolution  had  driven  from  their  homes  and  from 
France.  She  never  forgot  the  unfortunate,  but 
devoted  a  considerable  portion  of  her  income 
to  the  relief  of  the  emigrants.  She  was  at 
times  accused  of  extravagance.  Her  nature 
van  generous  in  the  extreme,  and  the  profusion 
19—12 


178  JOSEPHINE.          [AD.  1800 


Josephine's  unwearied  exertion*  In  behalf  of  tha  emigrant*. 


of  her  expenditures  was  an  index  of  her  expan- 
sive benevolence. 

Napoleon,  soon  after  he  became  first  consul, 
published  a  decree,  inviting  the  emigrants  to 
return,  and  did  what  he  could  to  restore  to  them 
their  confiscated  estates.  There  were,  however, 
necessarily  exceptions  from  the  general  act  of 
amnesty.  Cases  were  continually  arising  of 
peculiar  perplexity  and  hardship,  where  widow? 
and  orphans,  reduced  from  opulence  to  penury, 
sought  lost  property,  which,  during  the  tumult 
of  the  times,  had  become  involved  in  inextrica- 
ble embarrassments.  All  such  persons  made 
application  to  Josephine.  She  ever  found  time 
to  listen  to  their  tales  of  sorrow,  to  speak  words 
of  sympathy,  and,  with  great  soundness  of  judg 
ment,  to  render  them  all  the  aid  in  her  power 
"  Josephine,"  said  Napoleon,  in  reference  to 
these  her  applications  for  the  unfortunate,  "  will 
not  take  a  refusal.  But,  it  must  be  confessed, 
she  rarely  undertakes  a  case  which  has  not  pro 
priety,  at  least,  on  its  side."  The  Jacobin  laws 
had  fallen  with  fearful  severity  upon  all  the 
members  of  the  ancient  aristocracy  and  all  the 
friends  of  royalty.  The  cause  of  these  victims 
of  anarchy  Josephine  was  ever  ready  to  espouse 

A  noble  family  by  the  name  of  Deorest  had 


A.D.1800.]  CHARACTER  DEVELOPED  179 

fhe  Marquis  of  DeerMt  Accidental  death  sf  hl«  wm 

been  indebted  to  the  interposition  of  the  wife  of 
the  first  consul  for  their  permission  to  return  to 
France.  As  nearly  all  their  property  had  disap- 
peared during  their  exile,  Josephine  continued 
to  befriend  them  with  her  influence  and  her 
purse.  On  the  evening  of  a  festival  day,  a 
grand  display  of  fire-works  was  exhibited  on 
tke  banks  of  the  Seine.  A  rocket,  misdirected, 
struck  a  son  of  the  marquis  on  the  breast,  and 
instantly  killed  him.  The  young  man,  who 
was  on  the  eve  of  his  marriage  to  the  daughter 
of  an  ancient  friend,  was  an  officer  of  great 
promise,  and  the  hope  of  the  declining  family 
His  death  was  a  terrible  calamity,  as  well  as  a 
most  afflictive  bereavement.  The  father  aban- 
doned himself  to  all  the  delirium  of  inconsolable 
grief,  and  was  so  utterly  lost  in  the  depths  of 
despair,  that  it  was  feared  his  mind  would  nev- 
er again  recover  its  tone.  The  Duke  of  Or- 
leans was  grand-uncle  of  the  young  man  who 
was  killed,  and  Madame  Montesson,  the  moth* 
or  of  Louis  Philippe,  sent  for  her  distressed  rel- 
atives that  she  might  administer  to  their  conso- 
lation All  her  endeavors,  however,  were  en- 
tirely unavailing. 

In  the  midst  of  this  afflictive  scene,  Josephine 
aater«d  the  saloop  of  Madame  Montesson.    Her 


180  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1800 

focephlne  ureitt  the  grief  of  Decrert.  Her  tenderae** 

own  heart  taught  her  that  in  such  a  grief  as 
this  words  were  valueless.  Silently  she  took 
by  the  hand  the  eldest  daughter,  a  beautiful 
girl,  whose  loveliness  plead  loudly  for  a  father's 
oare,  and  in  the  other  arm  she  took  their  infant 
child  of  fifteen  months,  and,  with  her  own 
cheeks  bathed  in  tears,  she  kneeled  before  the 
stricken  mourner.  He  raised  his  eyes  and  saw 
Josephine,  the  wife  of  the  first  consul,  kneeling 
before  him,  and  imploringly  presenting  his  two 
children.  He  was  at  first  astonished  at  the 
sight.  Then,  bursting  into  tears,  he  exclaimed, 
•'  Yes !  I  have  much  for  which  I  am  yet  bound 
to  live.  These  children  have  claims  upon  me, 
tnd  I  must  no  longer  yield  to  despair."  A  lady 
who  was  present  on  this  occasion  says,  "  I  wit- 
nessed this  scene,  and  shall  never  forget  it. 
The  wife  of  the  first  consul  expressed,  in  lan- 
guage which  I  will  not  attempt  to  imitate,  all 
that  tenderness  which  the  maternal  bosom  alone 
knows.  She  was  the  very  image  of  a  minis- 
tering angel,  for  the  touching  charm  of  her 
voice  and  look  pertained  more  to  heaven  than 
to  earth."  Josephine  had  herself  seen  days  as 
dark  as  could  lower  over  a  mortal's  path.  Love 
for  her  children  was  then  the  only  tie  which 
bound  her  to  life.  In  those  days  of  angui»h  she 


A.D  1800.]  CHARACTER  DEVELOPED.    181 

rbe  Infernal  Machine.  It*  power.  Horteun  wounded 


.earned  the  only  appeal  which,  under  these  cir 
eumstances,  could  touch  a  despairing  fatherV 
heart. 

Several  conspiracies  were  formed  about  thi« 
tune  against  the  life  of  the  first  consul.  That 
of  the  Infernal  Machine  was  one  of  the  most 
desperate,  reckless,  and  atrocious  which  histo  *y 
has  recorded.  On  the  evening  of  December  24, 
1800,  Napoleon  was  going  to  the  opera.  Three 
gentlemen  were  with  him  in  his  carriage.  Jo- 
sephine, with  Hortense  and  one  or  two  others, 
followed  in  another  carriage.  In  passing  from 
the  Tuilleries  to  the  theater,  it  was  necessary 
to  pass  through  the  narrow  street  St.  Nicaire. 
A  cart,  apparently  by  accident  overturned,  ob- 
structed the  passage.  The  coachman,  howev- 
er, who  was  driving  his  horses  very  rapidly, 
crowded  his  way  by.  He  had  barely  passed 
the  cart  when  a  terrific  explosion  took  place, 
which  was  heard  all  over  Paris.  Eight  persons 
were  instantly  killed  and  more  than  sixty 
wounded.  Some  of  the  houses  in  the  vicinity 
were  nearly  blown  down.  The  windows  of  bcth 
the  carriages  were  shattered,  and  Hortense  waa 
ulightly  wounded  by  the  broken  glass.  Napo- 
leon drove  ou  to  the  opera,  where  he  found  the 
tudianoe  in  the  utmost  consternation,  for  th« 


182  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1800 

Napoleon  proceed!  to  the  opart.  Narrow  ucape  of  Josephine 

explosion  had  shaken  the  whole  city.  He  en- 
tered  with  a  countenance  as  perfectly  calm  and 
untroubled  as  if  nothing  unusual  had  occurred. 
Every  eye  was  fixed  upon  him.  As  soon  aa  it 
was  perceived  that  his  person  was  safe,  thun- 
ders of  applause  shook  the  walls  of  the  theate-i . 
On  every  side  Napoleon  was  greeted  with  the 
most  devoted  expressions  of  attachment.  Soon 
Josephine  came  in,  pale  and  trembling,  and, 
after  remaining  half  an  hour,  they  both  retired 
to  the  Tuilleries.  Napoleon  found  the  palace 
crowded  with  all  the  public  functionaries  of 
Paris,  who  had  assembled  to  congratulate  him 
upon  his  escape. 

The  life  of  Josephine  was  saved  on  this  oc- 
casion by  apparently  the  merest  accident.  She 
had  recently  received  a  magnificent  shawl,  a 
present  from  Constantinople,  and  was  preparing 
to  wear  it  that  evening  for  the  first  time.  Na- 
poleon, however,  in  playful  criticism,  condemned 
the  shawl,  remarking  upon  its  pattern  and  its 
color,  and  commending  one  which  he  deemed 
far  more  beautiful.  "You  are  a  bold  man," 
said  Josephine,  smiling,  "  in  venturing  to  oriti- 
oise  my  toilette.  I  shall  take  my  revenge  in 
giving  you  a  lesson  how  to  attack  a  redoubt 
However,"  she  continued,  turning  to  one  of  her 


A..D.  1800.]  CHARACTER  DEVELOPED.  183 

Treachery  of  th«  Roy alUtt  FoacM, 

attendant*,  "bring  me  the  general's  favorite 
I  will  wear  that."  A  delay  of  a  few  momenta 
was  caused  in  exchanging  the  shawls.  In  the 
mean  time,  Napoleon,  with  his  friends,  entered 
his  carriage  and  drove  on.  Josephine  soon  fol- 
lowed. She  had  but  just  entered  the  street 
when  the  explosion  took  place.  Had  she  fol- 
lowed, as  usual,  directly  behind  Napoleon,  her 
death  would  have  been  almost  inevitable. 

It  was  subsequently  ascertained,  greatly  tc 
»he  surprise  of  Napoleon  and  of  all  Europe,  that 
*,he  Royalists  were  the  agents  in  this  conspiracy. 
Napoleon  had  been  their  benefactor,  and  while 
he  knew  it  to  be  impossible  to  replace  the  Bour- 
bons upon  the  throne  of  France,  he  did  every 
thing  in  his  power  to  mitigate  the  misfortunes 
which  Jacobin  violence  had  inflicted  upon  their 
friends.  The  first  consul  made  no  disguise  of 
his  utter  detestation  of  the  Jacobins,  and  of  their 
reign  of  merciless  tyranny.  He  consequently 
supposed  that  they  were  the  authors  of  the  atro- 
cious crime.  The  real  authors  of  the  conspiracy 
were  however,  soon  discovered.  Fouoh6,  whom 
Bonaparte  disliked  exceedingly  for  his  inhuman 
deeds  during  the  Revolution,  was  the  Minister 
of  Police.  Upon  him  mainly  devolved  the  trial 
and  the  punishment  of  the  accused.  Josephine 


184  JOSEPHINE.  (A.D.1800 


Josephine'i  letter  to  the  Minister  of  Police. 


immediately  wrote  a  letter  to  Fouohe,  most 
strikingly  indicative  of  the  benevolence  of  her 
aoble  heart,  and  of  that  strength  of  mind  which 
sould  understand  that  the  claims  of  justice  musl 
aot  pass  unheeded. 

"  CITIZEN-MINISTER, — While  I  yet  tremble  al 
the  frightful  event  which  has  just  occurred,  1 
am  disquieted  and  distressed  through  fear  of  the 
punishment  necessarily  to  be  inflicted  on  tht 
guilty,  who  belong,  it  is  said,  to  families  with 
whom  I  once  lived  in  habits  of  intercourse.  I 
shall  be  solicited  by  mothers,  sisters,  and  dis- 
consolate wives ;  and  my  heart  will  be  broken 
through  my  inability  to  obtain  all  the  mercy  for 
which  I  would  plead. 

"  I  know  that  the  clemency  of  the  first  con- 
sul is  great,  his  attachment  to  me  extreme ;  but 
the  crime  is  too  dreadful  that  terrible  example* 
should  not  be  necessary.  The  chief  of  the  gov 
ernment  has  not  been  alone  exposed ;  and  it  i* 
that  which  will  render  him  severe — inflexible 
[  conjure  you,  therefore,  to  do  all  in  your  powei 
to  prevent  inquiries  being  pushed  too  far.  Do 
not  detect  all  those  persons  who  may  have  been 
accomplices  in  these  odious  transactions.  Let 
not  France,  so  long  overwhelmed  in  oonsterna 
tion  by  public  executions,  groan  anew  benoatb 


A..D.  1800.]  CHARACTER  DEVELOPER    18fl 


Bhe  plead)  for  lenity  In  behalf  of  the  guilty. 

such  inflictions.  It  is  even  better  to  endeavoi 
to  soothe  the  public  mind  than  to  exasperate 
men  by  fresh  terrors.  In  short,  when  the  ring- 
leaders  of  this  nefarious  attempt  shall  have  been 
secured,  let  severity  give  place  to  pity  for  infe- 
rior agents,  seduced  as  they  may  have  been  by 
dangerous  falsehoods  or  exaggerated  opinions. 

"  When  just  invested  with  supreme  power, 
the  first  consul,  as  seems  to  me,  ought  rather 
to  gain  hearts  than  to  be  exhibited  as  ruling 
slaves.  Soften  by  your  counsels  whatever  may 
be  too  violent  in  his  just  resentment.  Punish 
— alas !  that  you  must  certainly  do — but  par- 
don still  more.  Be  also  the  support  of  those  un- 
fortunate  men  who,  by  frank  avowal  or  repent- 
ance, shall  expiate  a  portion  of  their  crime. 

"  Having  myself  narrowly  escaped  perishing 
in  the  Revolution,  you  must  regard  as  quite 
natural  my  interference  on  behalf  of  those  who 
can  be  saved  without  involving  in  new  danger 
the  life  of  my  husband,  precious  to  me  and  to 
France.  On  this  account,  do,  I  entreat  you, 
make  a  wide  distinction  between  the  authors  of 
the  crime  and  those  who,  through  weakness  or 
fear,  have  consented  to  take  a  part  therein.  A« 
a  woman,  a  wife,  and  a  mother,  I  must  feel  the 
heart-rendings  of  those  who  will  apply  to  me, 


186  JOSEPHINE          [AD.  1800 


Character  of  Lonig  Napoleon. 


\ot,  citizen  minister,  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
aumber  of  these  may  be  lessened  This  will 
spare  me  much  grief.  Never  will  I  turu  away 
from  the  supplications  of  misfortune.  But  in  the 
present  instance  you  can  do  infinitely  more  than 
J,  and  you  will,  on  this  account,  excuse  my  im- 
portunity Rely  on  my  gratitude  and  esteem." 
Hortense  was  now  eighteen  years  of  age 
Louis  Napoleon,  brother  of  the  first  consul,  was 
twenty-four.  The  plan  was  formed  by  Napo- 
leon and  Josephine  of  uniting  them  in  marriage. 
Louis  was  a  studious,  imaginative,  pensive  man, 
with  no  taste  for  the  glitter  and  pomp  of  fashion, 
and  with  a  decided  aversion  to  earth's  noisy 
ambition.  He  loved  communing  with  his  own 
thoughts,  the  falling  leaf,  the  sighing  wind — the 
fireside  with  its  books,  its  solitude,  its  sacred  so- 
ciety of  one  or  two  congenial  friends.  He  be- 
longed to  that  class  of  men,  always  imbued  with 
deep  feeling,  whose  happiness  is  only  found  in 
those  hallowed  affections  which  bind  kindred 
hearts  in  congenial  pursuits  and  joys.  As  Napo- 
leon was  riding  triumphantly  upon  his  war-horse 
over  the  Austrian  squadrons  in  Italy,  achieving 
those  brilliant  victories  which  paved  his  way  to 
the  throne  of  France,  Louis,  then  a  young  man 
Hut  nineteen  years  of  age,  met  in  Paris'  a  young 


A..D  1801.]    CHARACTER  DEVELOPED.   187 

Ha  U  disappointed  In  lore.  Napoleon  trlei  to  heal  the  wound 

lady,  the  daughter  of  an  emigrant  noble,  for  whom 
he  formed  a  strong  attachment,  and  his  whole 
soul  became  absorbed  in  the  passion  of  love.  Na- 
poleon was  informed  of  this  attachment,  and,  ap 
prehensive  that  the  alliance  of  his  brother  with 
one  of  the  old  Royalist  families  might  endanger 
his  own  ambitious  projects,  he  sent  him  away  on 
a  military  commission,  and  with  his  inflexible 
will  and  strong  arm  broke  off  the  connection. 
The  young  lady  was  soon  afterward  married  to 
another  gentleman,  and  poor  Louis  was  plunged 
into  depths  of  disappointment  and  melancholy, 
from  whence  he  never  emerged.  Life  was  ever 
after  to  him  but  a  cloudy  day,  till,  with  a  grief- 
worn  spirit,  he  sank  into  the  grave. 

Napoleon,  conscious  of  the  wound  he  had  in- 
flicted upon  his  sensitive  brother,  endeavored,  in 
various  ways,  to  make  amends.  There  was  very 
much  in  his  gentle,  affectionate,  and  fervent  spir- 
it to  attract  the  tender  regard  of  Napoleon,  and 
he  ever  after  manifested  toward  him  a  disposi- 
tion of  peculiar  kindness.  It  was  long  before 
Louis  would  listen  to  the  proposition  of  his  mar- 
riage with  Hortense.  His  affections  still  clung, 
though  hopelessly,  yet  so  tenaciously  to  the  lost 
object  of  his  idolatry,  that  he  could  not  think, 
without  pain,  of  his  union  with  another  More 


188  JOSEPHINE.  [A  .D.  1801 

Character  of  Hortense.  She  is  married  to  Loni* 

uncongenial  nuptials  could  hardly  have  been 
imagined.  Hortense  was  a  beautiful,  merry, 
thoughtless  girl — amiable,  but  very  fond  of  ex- 
citement and  display.  In  the  ball-room,  the 
theater,  and  other  places  of  brilliant  entertain- 
ment, she  found  her  chief  pleasures.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  incongruity,  she  was  already  in  love 
with  the  handsome  Duroc,  the  favorite  aid  of 
Napoleon.  It  is  not  strange  that  such  a  young 
lady  should  have  seen  as  little  to  fancy  in  the 
disappointed  and  melancholy  Louis  as  he  could 
see  attractive  in  one  who  lived  but  for  the  pa- 
geantry of  the  passing  hour.  Thus  both  parties 
were  equally  averse  to  the  match.  The  tact  of 
Josephine,  however,  and  the  power  of  Napoleon 
combined,  soon  overcame  all  obstacles,  and  the 
mirth-loving  maiden  and  the  pensive  scholar 
were  led  to  their  untoward  nuptials.  Hortense 
became  more  easily  reconciled  to  the  match,  as 
her  powerful  father  promised,  in  consequence  of 
this  alliance,  to  introduce  her  to  seats  of  gran 
deur  where  all  her  desires  should  be  gratified. 
Louis,  resigning  himself  to  any  lot  in  a  world 
which  had  no  further  joy  in  store  for  him,  suf- 
fered himself  to  be  conducted  submissively  tc 
the  altar. 

At  the  f6te  given  in  honor  of  this  marriage, 


A..D.1801       'JHARACTER  DEVELOPED.    18S» 


AB  uncongenial  union.  Marriage  of  Duroc, 

the  splendors  of  ancient  royalty  seemed  to  be  re- 
vived. But  every  eye  could  see  the  sadness  of 
the  newly-married  bride  beneath  the  profusion 
of  diamonds  and  flowers  with  which  she  waa 
tdorned.  Louis  Napoleon,  the  present  President 
tf  the  French  Republic,  is  the  only  surviving  off- 
spring of  this  uncongenial  union. 

The  gay  and  handsome  Duroc,  who  had  been 
the  accepted  lover  of  Hortense,  was  soon  after 
married  to  an  heiress,  who  brought  him,  with  an 
immense  fortune,  a  haughty  spirit  and  an  irri- 
table temper,  which  embittered  all  his  days. 
The  subsequent  life  of  Hortense  presents  one  of 
the  most  memorable  illustrations  of  the  insufli 
oiency  of  human  grandeur  to  promote  happiness 
Josephine  witnessed  with  intense  solicitude  the 
utter  want  of  congeniality  existing  between 
them,  and  her  heart  often  bled  as  she  saw  alien 
ation  growing  stronger  and  stronger,  until  it  re- 
sulted in  an  entire  separation.  Hortense  mighi 
easily  have  won  and  retained  the  affections  ol 
the  pensive  out  warm-hearted  Louis,  had  she 
followed  tl-.e  counsels  of  her  noble  mother.  Jo- 
sephine, herself  the  almost  perfect  model  of  a 
wife,  was*  well  qualified  to  give  advice  in  such  a 
case.  The  following  letter,  written  to  Hortense 
some  time  before  her  separation  from  Louis,  ex- 


190  JOSEPHINE.  [A.D.  1801 


Letter  from  Josephine  to  Hortense. 


hibits  in  a  most  amiable  light  the  character  of 
Josephine. 

To  Queen  Hortense. 

"  What  I  learned  eight  days  ago  gave  me  th« 
greatest  pain.  What  I  observe  to-day  confirms 
and  augments  my  sorrow.  Why  show  to  Louis 
this  repugnance  ?  Instead  of  rendering  him  more 
ungracious  still  by  caprice,  by  inequality  of  char 
acter,  why  do  you  not  rather  make  efforts  to  sur- 
mount your  indifference  ?  But  you  will  say,  he 
is  not  amiable !  All  that  is  relative.  If  not  in 
your  eyes  amiable,  he  may  appear  so  to  others, 
and  all  women  do  not  view  him  through  the  me- 
dium of  dislike.  As  for  myself,  who  am  here 
altogether  disinterested,  I  imagine  that  I  behold 
him  as  he  is,  more  loving,  doubtless,  than  lov~ 
able,  but  this  is  a  great  and  rare  quality.  He 
is  generous,  beneficent,  feeling,  and,  above  all, 
an  excellent  father.  If  you  so  willed,  he  would 
prove  a  good  husband.  His  melancholy,  his  love 
of  study  and  retirement,  injure  him  in  your  es- 
timation. For  these,  I  ask  you,  is  he  to  blame  t 
Is  he  obliged  to  conform  his  nature  to  circum- 
stances ?  Who  could  have  predicted  to  him  hia 
fortune  ?  But,  according  to  you,  he  has  not  even 
the  courage  to  bear  that  fortune.  This,  I  believe. 


A.D.  1801.]    CHARACTER  DEVELOPED.  191 

She  adriMt  Horteiue  to  be  more  kind  to  Lcraii. 

ia  an  error ;  but  he  certainly  wants  the  strength. 
With  his  ascetic  inclinations,  his  invincible  de- 
*ire  of  retirement  and  study,  he  finds  himself 
misplaced  in  the  elevated  rank  to  which  he  has 
Attained.  You  desire  that  he  should  imitate 
his  brother.  Give  him,  first  of  a1!,  the  same  tem- 
perament. You  have  not  failed  to  remark  that 
almost  our  entire  existence  depends  upon  our 
health,  and  that  upon  our  digestion.  Let  poor 
Louis  digest  better,  and  you  would  find  him  more 
amiable.  But,  such  as  he  is,  there  can  be  no  rea- 
son for  abandoning  him,  or  making  him  feel  the 
unbecoming  sentiments  with  which  he  inspires 
you.  Do  you,  whom  I  have  seen  so  kind,  con- 
tinue to  be  so  at  the  moment  when  it  is  precise- 
ly more  than  ever  necessary.  Take  pit)  on  a 
man  who  has  to  lament  that  he  possesses  what 
would  constitute  another's  happiness ;  and,  be- 
fore condemning  him,  think  of  others  who,  Uki 
him,  have  groaned  beneath  the  burden  of  theii 
greatness,  and  bathed  with  their  tears  that  dia- 
dem which  they  believed  had  never  been  d«s 
tined  for  then*  brow." 

This,  surely,  was  admirable  counsel,  and,  had 
Hortense  followed  it,  she  would  have  saved  her 
self  many  a  long  year  of  loneliness  and  anguish 
But  the  impetuous  and  thoughtless  bride  coulc 


192  JOSEPHINE.           [A.D.  1801 

Dnhappy  disposition  of  Lent*.  Error*  of  Hortttnoe 

not  repress  the  repugnance  with  which  she  re- 
garded the  cold  exterior  and  the  exacting  love  of 
her  husband.  Louis  demanded  from  her  a  sin- 
gleness and  devotedness  of  affection  which  wa* 
unreasonable.  He  wished  to  engross  all  he; 
faculties  of  loving.  He  desired  that  every  pas- 
sion of  her  soul  should  be  centered  in  him,  an<? 
was  jealous  of  any  happiness  she  found  except- 
ing that  which  he  could  give.  He  was  even 
troubled  by  the  tender  regard  with  which  she 
cherished  her  mother  and  her  brother,  consider- 
ing all  the  love  she  gave  to  them  as  so  much 
withheld  from  him.  Hortense  was  passionately 
f  ^  of  music  and  of  painting.  Louis  almost 
forbade  her  the  enjoyment  of  those  delightfu. 
aocomplishments,  thinking  that  she  pursued 
them  with  a  heartfelt  devotion  inconsistent  with 
that  supreme  love  with  which  she  ought  to  re- 
gard her  husband.  Hortense,  proud  and  high- 
spirited,  would  not  submit  to  such  tyranny 
She  resisted  and  retaliated.  She  became,  con- 
sequently, wretched,  and  her  husband  wretch- 
ed, and  discord  withered  all  the  joys  of  home 
At  last,  the  union  of  such  discordant  spirits  be- 
came utterly  insupportable.  They  separated. 
The  story  of  their  domestic  quarrel*  ribratccJ 
upon  the  ear  of  Europe.  Louis  wandered  here 


A..D  1801.)  CHARACTER  KEVELOPED.  193 

HappinaM  to  which  «he  might  have  attained. 


and  there,  joyless  and  sad,  till,  weary  of  a  mis- 
erable life,  alone  and  friendless,  he  died.  Hor- 
tense  retired,  with  a  restless  and  suffering 
heart,  to  the  mountains  of  Switzerland,  where, 
in  a  secluded  castle,  she  lingered  out  the  re- 
'maining  years  of  her  sorrowful  pilgrimage.  It 
was  an  unfortunate  match.  Having  been  made, 
the  only  possible  remedy  was  in  pursuing  the 
course  which  Josephine  so  earnestly  recom- 
mended. Had  Josephine  been  married  to  Lou- 
is, she  would  have  followed  the  course  she  coun- 
seled her  daughter  to  pursue.  She  would  have 
leaned  fondly  upon  his  arm  in  his  morning  and 
evening  walks.  She  would  have  cultivated  a 
lively  interest  in  his  reading,  his  studies,  and 
all  his  quiet  domestic  pleasures.  She  would, 
as  far  as  possible,  have  relinquished  every  pur- 
suit  which  could  by  any  possibility  have  caused 
him  pain.  Thus  she  would  have  won  his  love 
and  his  admiration.  Every  day  her  power  over 
him  would  have  been  increasing.  Gradually 
her  influence  would  have  molded  his  character 
to  a  better  model.  He  would  have  become 
proud  of  his  wife.  He  would  have  leaned  upon 
her  arm.  He  would  have  been  supported  by 
her  affection  and  her  intellectual  strength.  He 
Won  id  have  become  more  cheerful  in  character 
19—13 


194  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1S01 

The  spirit  if  Josephine.  Character  of  Uorten*e> 

and  resolute  in  purpose.  Days  of  tranquillity 
and  happiness  would  have  embellished  theii 
dwelling.  The  spirit  of  Josephine  !  It  is  noble 
as  well  as  lovely.  It  accomplishes  the  most  ex- 
alted achievements,  and  diffuses  the  most  enno- 
bling happiness.  There  are  thousands  of  unicna 
as  uncongenial  as  that  of  Hortense  and  Louis. 
From  the  woes  such  unions  would  naturally 
engender  there  is  but  one  refuge,  and  Josephine 
has  most  beautifully  shown  what  that  refuge  is. 
Hortense,  proud  and  high -spirited,  resolved  that 
she  would  not  submit  to  the  exacting  demands 
of  her  husband.  In  her  sad  fate  we  read  the 
warning  not  to  imitate  ner  example. 

Hortense  is  invariably  described  as  an  un- 
usually fascinating  woman.  She  had  great 
vivacity  of  mind,  and  displayed  much  brilliance 
of  conversational  powers.  Her  person  was  fine- 
ly formed,  and  she  inherited  much  of  that  grace- 
ful  demeanor  which  so  signally  characterized 
her  mother.  She  was  naturally  amiable,  and 
was  richly  endowed  with  all  those  accomplish- 
ments which  enable  one  to  excel  in  the  art  of 
pleasing.  Louis,  more  than  any  other  of  th« 
brothers,  most  strongly  resembled  Napoleon. 
He  was  a  very  handsome  man,  and  possessed 
far  more  than  ordinary  abilities.  Under  lean 


A.D.  1801.]  CHARACTER  DEVELOPED.     195 

Calumnies  againit  Napoleon.  They  fall  In  their  effect 

nntoward  circumstances  he  might  have  been 
eminently  happy.  Few  persons,  however,  have 
journeyed  along  the  path  of  life  under  a  darker 
eloud  than  that  which  ever  shed  its  gloom  upon 
the  footsteps  of  Louis  and  Hortense. 

Among  the  various  attempts  which  had  been 
made  to  produce  alienation  between  Napoleon 
and  Josephine,  one  of  the  most  atrocious  was 
the  whispered  insinuation  that  the  strong  affec- 
tion which  the  first  consul  manifested  for  Hor 
tense  was  a  guilty  passion.  Napoleon  exhibit- 
ed in  the  most  amiable  manner  his  qualities  as 
a  father,  in  the  frequent  correspondence  he  car- 
ried on  with  the  two  children  of  Josephine,  in 
the  interest  he  took  in  their  studies,  and  in  the 
solicitude  he  manifested  to  promote  their  best 
welfare.  He  loved  Hortense  as  if  she  had  been 
his  own  child.  Josephine  was  entirely  impreg- 
nable against  any  jealousy  to  be  introduced  from 
that  quarter,  and  a  peaceful  smile  was  her  oniy 
reply  to  all  such  insinuations.  Hortense  had 
also  heard,  and  had  utterly  disregarded,  these 
rumors.  The  marriage  of  Hortense  to  a  brother 
of  Napoleon  had  entirely  silenced  the  calumny, 
and  it  was  soon  forgotten. 

Subsequently,  when  Hortense  had  become  en- 
tirely alienated  from  her  husband,  and  was  re 


i96  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1801 

Cn}u»t  remarki  of  Horten*e.  JoMphine'i  reply 

solved  upon  a  separation,  Josephine  did  every 
thing  in  her  power  to  dissuade  her  from  an  act 
«o  rash,  so  disgraceful ,  so  ruinous  to  her  happi- 
ness. She  wrote  to  her  in  terms  of  the  most 
earnest  entreaty.  The  self-willed  queen,  an 
ooyed  by  these  remonstrances,  and  unable  to  re- 
ply to  them,  ventured  to  intimate  to  her  mother 
that  perhaps  she  was  not  entirely  disinterested 
in  her  opposition.  In  most  guarded  terms  she 
suggested  that  her  mother  had  heard  the  ground- 
less accusation  of  Napoleon's  undue  fondness, 
and  that  it  was  possible  that  her  strong  opposi- 
tion to  the  separation  of  Hortense  from  her  hus- 
band might  originate  in  the  fear  that  Hortense 
might  become,  in  some  degree,  her  rival  in  the 
affections  of  Napoleon.  Josephine  very  prompt- 
ly and  energetically  replied, 

"  You  have  misunderstood  me  entirely,  my 
child.  There  is  nothing  equivocal  in  my  words, 
as  there  can  not  exist  an  uncandid  sentiment  in 
my  heart.  How  could  you  imagine  that  I  could 
participate  in  opinions  so  ridiculous  and  so  mali- 
cious ?  No,  Hortense,  you  do  not  think  that  I 
believe  you  to  be  my  rival.  We  do,  indeed,  both 
reign  in  the  same  heart,  though  by  very  differ- 
ent, yet  by  equally  sacred  rights.  And  they 
who,  in  the  affection  which  my  husband  mini 


A.D.  1801.]  CHARACTER   DEVELOPED.    197 

The  lore  of  f lory  Htpolaon'i  rnllag  pacdoa. 


fests  for  you,  have  pretended  to  discover  other 
sentiments  than  those  of  a  parent  and  a  friend 
know  not  his  soul.  His  mind  is  too  elevated 
above  that  of  the  vulgar  to  be  ever  accessible  tc 
unworthy  passions.  The  passion  of  glory,  if 
yon  will,  engrosses  him  too  entirely  for  our  re- 
pose ;  but  glory,  at  least,  inspires  nothing  which 
is  vile.  Such  is  my  profession  of  faith  respect- 
ing N  apoleon.  I  make  this  confession  to  you  in 
all  sincerity,  that  I  may  allay  your  inquietudes. 
When  I  recommended  you  to  love,  or,  at  least, 
not  to  repulse  Louis,  I  spoke  to  you  in  my  char- 
acter of  an  experienced  wife,  an  attentive  moth- 
er, and  a  tender  friend,  and  in  this  threefo  d  re» 
'ation  do  I  now  embrace  you." 


198  JOSEPHINE.          [A. D.  1802. 

|o*ephiite  and  Napoleon  Yi*lt  '^yon*  Josephine  makes  new  Mend* 


CHAPTER  X. 
THE  CORONATION. 

EARLY  in  the  year  1802  Josephine  aooom. 
panied  Napoleon  in  various  excursions  tc 
distant  parts  of  the  empire.  She  went  with 
him  to  Lyons  to  meet  the  Italian  deputies,  whc 
had  assembled  there  to  confer  upon  him  the 
dignity  of  President  of  the  Cisalpine  Republic 
The  entertainments  in  Lyons  upon  this  oooa 
gion  were  arranged  with  regal  magnificence 
Josephine,  by  her  grace  and  affability,  secured 
universal  admiration,  and  every  tongue  was 
eloquent  in  her  praises.  Each  succeeding  month 
seemed  now  to  bring  some  new  honor  to  Jose- 
phine. Her  position  as  wife  of  the  first  consul, 
her  known  influence  over  her  husband,  and  the 
almost  boundless  popularity  he  had  acquired 
over  the  minds  of  his  countrymen,  who  were 
ever  conducting  him  by  rapid  strides  to  new 
accessions  of  power,  surrounded  her  with  mul- 
titudes  striving  in  every  way  to  ingratiate  them 
selves  into  her  favor. 

From  Lyons  they  returned  to  their  beloved 


A.D.1802.]       THE  CORONATION.  199 

R*tarm  to  MalmaUon.  AnMdota  of  the  writing- muter 

retreat  at  Malmaison,  vhere  they  passed  sev- 
eral weeks.  But  place  and  power  had  already 
deprived  them  of  retirement.  Napoleon  wai 
entirely  engrossed  with  his  vast  projects  of  am- 
bition. The  avenue  to  their  rural  mansion  was 
unceasingly  thronged  with  carriages,  and  the 
saloon  of  Josephine  was  ever  filled  with  the 
most  illustrious  guests. 

One  day  Josephine  happened  to  be  hi  the 
cabinet  with  her  husband  alone.  A  man,  whose 
coat  was  much  the  worse  for  wear,  and  whose 
whole  appearance  presented  many  indications 
of  the  struggle  with  poverty,  was  ushered  into 
the  room.  He  appeared  greatly  embarrassed- 
and  at  length,  with  much  confusion,  introduced 
himself  as  the  writing-master  at  Brienne  who 
had  taught  the  first  consul  hand- writing.  "  And 
a  fine  penman  you  made  of  me !"  exclaimed  Na- 
poleon, hi  affected  anger.  "  Ask  my  wife  there 
what  she  thinks  of  my  writing."  The  poor 
man  stood  trembling  in  trepidation,  when  Jose- 
phine looked  up  with  one  of  her  sweetest  smile*. 
»nd  said,  "  I  assure  you,  sir,  his  letters  are  per- 
'ectly  delightful."  Napoleon  laughed  at  the 
well-timed  compliment,  and  settled  upon  the 
writing-master  a  small  annuity  for  life.  It  was 
a  noble  trait  in  the  character  of  the  first  consul 


200  JOSEPHINE.          [A.  D  1802 

Tour  of  the  northern  prorlnoet  Enthu*U»m  of  the  peopla 

that  in  his  days  of  power  he  was  ever  mindful 
of  those  who  were  the  friends  of  his  early  years. 
A.11  the  instructors  of  the  school  he  attended  at 
Brienne  were  thus  remembered  by  him. 

Napoleon  and  Josephine  now  made  the  tour 
of  the  northern  provinces  of  France.  They 
were  every  where  -eceived  with  unbounded  en 
thusiasm.  The  first  consul  had,  indeed,  con 
ferred  the  greatest  blessings  on  his  country 
He  had  effectually  curbed  the  RevolutionarJ 
fury.  He  had  established  the  reign  of  law 
Thousands  of  exiles  he  had  restored  to  their 
homes  rejoicing.  The  discomfited  armies  of 
France  he  had  led  to  new  and  brilliant  victo- 
ries. Under  his  administration  every  branch 
of  business  had  revived.  From  every  part  of 
the  empire  Napoleon  received  the  most  enthu 
siastio  expressions  of  gratitude  and  attachment 
He  now  began  more  seriously  to  contemplate 
ascending  the  throne  of  France.  Conscious  jf 
his  own  power,  and  ambitious  of  the  glory  of 
elevating  his  country  to  the  highest  pinnacle  of 
earthly  greatness,  and  witnessing  the  enthusi' 
*sm  of  admiration  which  his  deeds  had  excited 
in  the  public  mind,  he  no  longer  doubted  that 
his  countrymen  would  soon  be  ready  to  place 
the  scepter  of  empire  in  his  hands.  He  thought 
that  the  pear  was  now  tioe. 


A.D- 1802  ]     THE  CORONATION.  201 

Joeephlne  erer  tolidtoiu  In  behalf  of  the  ccunfort  of 


Josephine  ever  enjoyed  most  highly  accom- 
panying her  husband  on  these  tours,  and  she, 
on  suoh  occasions,  manifested,  in  the  most  at- 
tractive manner,  her  readiness  to  sacrifice  her 
iwn  personal  comfort  to  promote  the  happiness 
>f  others.  Napoleon  was  in  the  habit  of  moving 
with  such  rapidity,  and  of  setting  out  so  unex- 
pectedly upon  these  journeys,  and  he  was  so  per- 
emptory in  his  injunctions  as  to  the  places  where 
he  intended  to  halt,  that  often  no  suitable  accom- 
modations could  be  provided  for  Josephine  and 
her  attendant  ladies.  No  complaint,  however, 
was  ever  heard  from  her  lips.  No  matter  how 
great  the  embarrassment  she  encountered,  she 
ever  exhibited  the  same  imperturbable  cheerful- 
ness and  good  humor.  She  always  manifested 
much  more  solicitude  in  reference  to  the  accom- 
modation of  her  attendants  than  for  her  own  com- 
fort. She  would  herself  visit  their  apartments, 
and  issue  personal  directions  to  promote  their 
convenience.  One  night,  just  as  she  was  about 
to  retire  to  rest,  she  observed  that  her  waiting- 
woman  had  but  a  single  mattress,  spread  upon 
the  floor,  for  her  repose.  She  immediately,  with 
her  own  hands,  took  from  the  bed  destined  for 
herself  another  mattress,  and  supplied  the  defi- 
ciency, that  her  waiting-woman  might  sleep 


202  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1802 

BeMvolence  cf  Josephine' •  heart.  The  palace  of  SL  Cloud 

more  comfortably.  Whenever  any  of  her  house- 
hold were  sick,  Josephine  promptly  visited  their 
bedside,  and  with  her  own  hands  ministered  to 
their  wants.  She  would  remember  them  at  her 
own  table,  and  from  the  luxurious  viands  spread 
ont  before  her,  would  select  delicacies  which 
might  excite  a  failing  appetite.  It  often  hap- 
pened, in  these  sudden  and  hasty  journeys,  that, 
from  want  of  accommodation,  some  of  the  party 
were  compelled  to  remain  in  the  carriages  while 
Napoleon  and  Josephine  dined.  In  such  cases 
they  were  never  forgotten.  This  was  not  policy 
and  artifice  on  the  part  of  Josephine,  but  the  in- 
stinctive dictates  of  a  heart  overflowing  with  be- 
nevolence. 

On  Napoleon's  return  from  this  tour  he  took 
possession  of  the  palace  of  St.  Cloud.  This  was 
another  step  toward  the  throne  of  the  Bourbons. 
This  magnificent  abode  of  ancient  grandeur  had 
been  repaired  and  most  gorgeously  furnished. 
The  versatile  French,  weary  of  Republican  sim- 
plicity, witnessed  with  joy  the  indications  of  a 
return  of  regal  magnificence.  A  decree  alec 
granted  to  Josephine  "  four  ladies,  to  assist  het 
in  doing  the  honors  of  the  palace."  No  occupant 
of  these  splendid  saloons  ever  embellished  them 
more  richly  by  the  display  of  queenly  graces  than 


A.D.  1802.]      THE  CORONATION  203 

Kapoleon's  rlewi  of  Christianity.  Striking  r.  mark* 

did  Josephine ;  and  Napoleon,  now  constituted 
first  consul  for  life,  reigned  with  pomp  and  power 
which  none  of  his  predecessors  had  ever  surpassed. 
The  few  remaining  forms  of  the  Republic  rapidly 
disappeared.  Josephine  exerted  much  influence 
over  her  husband's  mind  in  inducing  him  to  re- 
establish the  institutions  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gion. Napoleon  at  that  time  did  not  profess  to 
have  any  faith  in  the  divine  origin  of  Christianity. 
Infidelity  had  swept  resistlessly  over  France,  and 
nearly  every  man  of  any  note  in  the  camp  and 
in  the  court  was  an  unbeliever.  He  was,  con- 
sequently, very  bitterly  opposed  in  all  his  en- 
deavors to  reinstate  Christianity.  One  evening 
ne  was  walking  upon  the  terrace  of  his  garden 
at  Malmaison,  most  earnestly  conversing  with 
some  influential  members  of  the  government 
upon  this  subject. 

"  Religion,"  said  he,  "  is  something  which  can 
not  be  eradicated  from  the  heart  of  man.  He 
must  believe  in  a  superior  being.  Who  made 
all  that  ?"  he  continued,  pointing  to  the  star* 
brilliantly  shining  in  the  evening  sky.  "  Last 
Sunday  evening  J  was  walking  here  alone,  when 
the  church  bells  of  the  village  of  Ruel  rang  at 
sunset.  1  was  strongly  moved,  so  vividly  did 
the  image  of  early  days  come  back  with  that 


SS04  JOSEPHINE.  [AJX  1802 

of  Jowphlne  In  the  re-e«UbU8hment  of  OhrUtianity. 


sound.  If  it  be  thus  with  me,  what  must  it  be 
with  others?  Let  your  philosophers  answer 
that,  if  they  can.  It  is  absolutely  indispensable 
to  have  a  religion  for  the  people.  In  re-estab- 
lishing Christianity,  I  consult  the  wishes  of  a 
great  majority  of  the  French  nation." 

Josephine  probably  had  very  little  religious 
knowledge.  She  regarded  Christianity  as  a  sen- 
timent rather  than  a  principle.  She  felt  the  po- 
etic beauty  of  its  revelations  and  its  ordinances. 
She  knew  how  holy  were  its  charities,  how  pure 
its  precepts,  how  ennobling  its  influences,  even 
when  encumbered  with  the  grossest  supersti- 
tions. She  had  seen,  and  dreadfully  had  sbA 
felt,  what  France  was  without  religion  —  with 
marriage  a  mockery,  conscience  a  phantom,  and 
death  proclaimed  to  all  an  eternal  sleep.  She 
therefore  most  warmly  seconded  her  husband  in 
all  endeavors  to  restore  again  to  desolated  Franc* 
the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  next  morning  after  the  issuing  of  the 
proclamation  announcing  the  re-establishment 
of  public  worship,  a  grand  religious  ceremony 
took  place  in  honr  r  of  the  occasion  in  the  church 
of  Notre  Dame.  Napoleon,  to  produce  a  deep 
impression  upon  the  public  mind,  invested  the 
occasion  with  all  possible  pomp.  As  he  wa* 


A.D.1802.]     THE  CORONATION.  5J08 

Religious  ceremony  at  NOtre  Dame.  Proclamation  of  Napoleon. 

preparing  to  go  to  the  Cathedral,  one  of  his  col- 
leagues, Cambaoeres,  entered  the  room. 

<f  Well,"  said  the  first  consul,  rubbing  hii 
hand*  in  fine  spirits,  "  we  go  to  church  thin 
moiB  ing ;  what  say  they  to  that  in  Paris  ?" 

"  Many  people,"  replied  Cambaceres,  "  pro- 
pose to  attend  the  first  representation  in  order 
to  hiss  the  piece,  should  they  not  find  it  amus- 
ing." 

"  If  any  one  takes  it  into  his  head  to  hiss,  I 
shall  put  him  out  of  the  door  by  the  grenadiers 
of  the  consular  guard." 

"  But  what  if  the  grenadiers  themselves  take 
to  hissing  like  the  rest  ?" 

"  As  to  that,  I  have  no  fear.  My  old  mus- 
taches will  go  here  to  Notre  Dame  just  as  at 
Cairo  they  would  have  gone  to  the  mosque. 
They  will  remark  how  I  do,  and,  seeing  their 
general  grave  and  decent,  they  will  be  so  too, 
passing  the  watchword  to  each  other,  Decency  /" 

In  the  noble  proclamation  which  the  first 
•onsul  issued  upon  this  great  event,  he  says, 
"  An  insane  policy  has  sought,  during  the  Rev- 
olution, to  smother  religious  dissensions  under 
the  ruins  of  the  altar,  under  the  ashes  of  relig- 
ion itself.  At  its  voice  ah1  those  pious  solemni- 
ties ceased  in  which  the  citizens  called  eaok 


206  JOSEPHINE  [A  D  1802 

Christian  charity  recommended.  Triumph  of  Christianity 

other  by  the  endearing  name  of  brothers,  and 
acknowledged  their  common  equality  in  the 
sight  of  Heaven.  The  dying,  left  alone  in  hie 
agonies,  no  longer  heard  that  consoling  voice 
which  calls  the  Christian  to  a  better  world 
God  himself  seemed  exiled  from  the  face  of  na- 
ture. Ministers  of  the  religion  of  peace  !  let  a 
complete  oblivion  veil  over  your  dissensions, 
your  misfortunes,  your  faults.  Let  the  religion 
which  unites  you  bind  you  by  indissoluble  cords 
to  the  interests  of  your  country.  Citizens  of 
the  Protestant  faith !  the  law  has  equally  ex- 
tended its  solicitude  to  your  interests.  Let  the 
morality,  so  pure,  so  holy,  so  brotherly,  which 
you  profess,  unite  you  all  iu  love  to  your  coun- 
try and  respect  for  its  laws ;  and,  above  all, 
never  permit  disputes  on  doctrinal  points  to 
weaken  that  universal  charity  which  religion 
at  once  inculcates  and  commands." 

This,  surely,  is  a  great  triumph  of  Christian- 
ity. A  man  like  Napoleon,  even  though  not  at 
the  time  a  believer  in  its  divine  origin,  was  so 
perfectly  satisfied  of  its  beneficial  influence  upon 
mankind,  that,  as  a  matter  of  state  policy,  he 
felt  compelled  to  reinstate  its  observances. 

Josephine  cherished  emotions  of  the  deepest 
gratitude  toward  all  those  who  had  proved 


A..D.1800.]       THE  CORONATION.  2«7 

Madame  Tallien  dUliked  by  Napoleon.  DUsipation  in  Pari* 

friendly  to  her  in  the  days  of  her  adversity 
Napoleon,  with  his  strong  prejudices,  often  took 
a  dislike  to  those  whom  Josephine  loved.  Ma» 
dame  Tallien,  the  companion  of  Josephine  in 
her  captivity  and  her  benefactor  after  her  re- 
tease,  was,  for  some  unknown  reason,  peculiarly 
obnoxious  to  Napoleon.  She  was  extremely 
beautiful  and  very  ambitious,  and  her  exclusion 
from  the  splendors  of  the  new  court,  now  daily 
becoming  more  brilliant,  mortified  her  exceed- 
ingly.  Josephine  also  was  greatly  troubled. 
She  could  not  disregard  the  will  of  her  husband, 
and  her  heart  recoiled  from  the  thought  of  in- 
gratitude  toward  one  who  had  been  her  friend 
in  adversity.  At  this  time,  in  Paris,  pleasure 
seemed  to  be  the  universal  object  of  pursuit. 
All  the  restraints  of  religion  had  been  swept 
away,  and  masked  balls,  gambling,  and  every 
species  of  dissipation  attracted  to  the  metropo- 
lis the  wealthy  and  the  dissolute  frcm  all  parts 
of  Europe.  Napoleon  never  made  his  appear- 
ance  in  any  of  these  reckless  scenes  of  revelry. 
He  ever  was  an  inveterate  enemy  to  gambling 
in  all  its  forms,  and  had  no  relish  for  luxurious 
indulgence.  Josephine,  however,  accompanied 
by  Eugene,  occasionally  looked  in  upon  the 
lancers  at  the  masked  balls.  On  one  of  these 


208  JOSEPHIKB.          [A.D.  1800 

tncidnnt  at  •  muked  ball  JtMephlne  and  Madame  Talllna 

occasions  a  noble  lady  witnessed  an  incident 
which  she  has  recorded  in  the  following  words : 
"C-hance  rendered  me  witness  of  a  singula? 
wene  at  one  of  these  balls.  It  was  near  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  crowd  immense, 
and  the  heat  overpowering.  I  had  ascended 
for  a  few  moments  to  the  apartments  above, 
and,  refreshed  by  the  cool  air,  was  about  to  de- 
scend, when  the  sound  of  voices  in  tb*>  adjoining 
r«x>m,  in  earnest  conversation,  caught  my  at- 
tention. Applying  my  ear  to  the  partition,  the 
name  of  Bonaparte,  and  the  discovery  that  Jo- 
sephine and  Madame  Tallien  were  the  speak- 
ers, excited  a  real  curiosity.  "  I  assure  you, 
my  dear  Theresina,"  said  Josephine,  "  that  I 
have  done  all  that  friendship  could  dictate,  but 
in  vain  No  later  than  this  morning  I  made  a 
new  effort.  Bonaparte  would  hear  of  nothing. 
I  can  not  comprehend  what  can  have  prejudiced 
him  so  strongly  against  you.  You  are  the  only 
woman  whose  name  he  has  effaced  from  the  list 
of  my  particular  friends ;  and  from  fear  le?t  he 
should  manifest  his  displeasure  directly  against 
us  have  I  now  come  hither  alone  with  my  son. 
At  this  moment  they  believe  me  sound  asleep 
in  my  bed  at  the  Tuilleries ;  but  I  determined 
on  coming  to  see,  to  warn,  and  to  console  yen 
x  above  all,  to  justify  myself" 


A.D.  1800.]       THE  CORONATION.  209 

The  ttolen  interview.  Eugene  'titerrupU  IV 

"  My  dear  Josephine,"  Madame  Tallien  re- 
plied, "I  have  never  doubted  either  the  good- 
ness of  your  heart  or  the  sincerity  of  your  af- 
fection. Heaven  is  my  witness  that  the  los» 
of  your  friendship  would  be  to  me  much  more 
painful  than  any  dread  of  Bonaparte.  In  thase 
difficult  times,  I  have  maintained  a  conduct  that 
might,  perhaps,  render  my  visits  an  honor,  but 
I  will  never  importune  you  to  receive  me  with- 
out his  consent.  He  was  not  consul  when  Tal- 
lien followed  him  into  Egypt,  when  I  received 
you  both  into  my  house,  when  I  shared  with 
you — "  Here  she  burst  into  tears,  and  her 
voice  became  inaudible. 

"  Calm  yourself,  my  dear  Theresina,"  Jose- 
phine rejoined ;  "be  calm,  and  let  the  storm 
pass.  I  am  paving  the  way  for  a  reconcilia- 
tion, but  we  must  not  irritate  him  more.  You 
know  that  he  does  not  love  Ouvrard,  and  it  i« 
Raid  that  he  often  sees  you." 

"  What,  then,"  Madame  Tallien  replied. 
"  because  he  governs  France,  does  he  expect  to 
tyrannize  over  our  hearts  ?  Must  we  sacrifiot 
to  him  our  private  friendships  ?" 

At  that  moment  some  one  knocked  at  the 
door,  and  Eugene  Beanharnais  entered.  "  Ma- 
dame," said  ha  to  his  mother,  "yon  have  lieea 
19—14 


210  JOSEPHINE. 


Ou  t  rard  Kumori.  Apprehensi 

now  more  than  an  hour  absent.  The  council 
of  ministers  is  perhaps  over.  What  will  th« 
first  consul  say,  should  he  not  find  you  on  hii 
return?"  The  two  ladies  then,  arm  in  am, 
descended  the  stairs,  conversing  in  earnest  whis- 
pers, followed  by  Eugene. 

This  Ouvrard,  to  whom  allusion  is  made 
above,  was  a  famous  banker  in  Paris,  of  enor- 
mous wealth,  and  engaged  in  the  most  wild 
and  extravagant  speculations. 

It  now  began  to  be  rumored  that  Napoleon 
would  soon  be  crowned  as  king.  Very  many  of 
the  nation  desired  it,  and  though  there  was  as 
yet  no  public  declaration,  vague  hints  and  float- 
ing rumors  filled  the  air.  Josephine  was  greatly 
disquieted.  It  seemed  more  and  more  important 
that  Napoleon  should  have  an  heir.  There  was 
now  no  prospect  that  Josephine  would  ever  be- 
come again  a  mother.  She  heard,  with  irrepress- 
ible anguish,  that  it  had  been  urged  upon  her 
husband  that  the  interests  of  France  required 
that  he  should  obtain  a  divorce  and  marry  again  ; 
that  alliance  with  one  of  the  ancient  royal  fam- 
ilies of  Europe,  and  the  birth  of  a  son,  to  whom 
he  could  transmit  his  crown,  would  place  hia 
power  upon  an  impregnable  foundation.  Jose- 
phine *x)uld  not  but  perceive  the  apparent  poliov 


A.D.  1800.]    THE  CORONATION.  211 

Anecdote.  Introduction  of  mgmi  state, 

of  the  great  wrong.  And  though  she  knew  that 
Napoleon  truly  and  tenderly  loved  her,  she  also 
feared  that  there  was  no  sacrifice  which  he  was 
not  ready  to  make  in  obedience  to  the  claims  of 
ois  towering  ambition. 

One  day  she  softly  entered  the  cabinet  without 
being  announced.  Bonaparte  and  Bourrienne 
were  conversing  together.  The  day  before,  an 
article  appeared  in  the  Moniteur,  evidently  pre- 
paring the  way  for  the  throne.  Josephine  gently 
approached  her  husband,  sat  down  upon  his  knee, 
affectionately  passed  her  hand  through  his  hair 
and  over  his  face,  and,  with  moistened  eyes  and 
a  burst  of  tenderness,  exclaimed,  "  I  entreat  you, 
mon  ami,  do  not  make  yourself  a  king.  It  is 
Lucien  who  urges  you  to  it.  Do  not  even  list- 
en to  him;" 

Bonaparte,  smiling  very  pleasantly,  replied, 
"Why,  my  dear  Josephine,  you  are  crazy.  You 
must  not  listen  to  these  tales  of  the  old  dowa- 
gers. But  you  interrupt  us  now.  I  am  very 
busy." 

During  the  earlier  period  of  Napoleon's  con- 
sulship, like  the  humblest  citizen,  he  occupied 
the  same  bed-chamber  with  his  spouse.  But 
now  that  more  of  regal  ceremony  and  state  was 
being  introduced  to  the  consular  establishment, 


212  JOSEIHINE  [A.D.  1800 

Napoleon  and  Josephine  occupy  separate  apartment*, 

their  domestic  intercourse,  to  the  great  grief  of 
Josephine,  assumed  more  of  cold  formality.  Sep- 
arate apartments  were  assigned  to  Josephine  al 
a  considerable  distance  from  those  occupied  by 
her  husband,  and  it  was  necessary  to  travers* 
a  long  corridor  to  pass  from  one  to  the  other 
The  chambers  of  the  principal  ladies  of  the  court 
opened  upon  this  corridor  from  the  right  and 
the  left.  The  splendor  with  which  Josephine's 
rooms  were  furnished  was  no  compensation  to 
her  for  the  absence  of  that  affectionate  familiar- 
ity  for  which  her  heart  ever  yearned.  She  also 
suspected,  with  anguish,  that  this  separation 
was  but  the  prelude  of  the  divorce  she  so  fear- 
fully apprehended.  Whenever  Napoleon  passed 
the  night  in  the  apartment  of  Josephine,  it  was 
known  to  the  whole  household.  Josephine,  at 
such  times,  always  appeared  at  a  later  hour  in 
the  morning  than  usual,  for  they  generally  passed 
half  the  night  in  conversation. 

"  I  think  I  see  her  still,"  writes  one  of  th* 
•adies  of  her  household,  "  coming  in  to  breakfast, 
looking  quite  cheerful,  rubbing  her  little  hands, 
as  she  was  accustomed  to  do  when  peculiarly 
happy,  and  apologizing  for  having  risen  so  late 
On  such  occasions  she  was,  if  possible,  more 
.gracious  than  usual,  refused  nobody,  and  wr 


A-D.  1800.]    THE  CORONATION.  213 

locephlne  adrocatei  the  came  of  the  Bourbon*.  A  present 

were  sure  of  obtaining  every  thing  we  asked,  as 
[  have  myself  many  times  experienced." 

TLs  Bourbons  had  been  for  some  time  in  cor- 
respondence with  Napoleon,  hoping,  through  his 
»gency,  to  regain  the  throne.  He  assured  them 
that  their  restoration  could  not  possibly  be  ac- 
complished, even  by  the  sacrifice  of  the  lives  of 
a  million  of  Frenchmen.  Josephine,  who  had 
suffered  so  much  from  anarchy,  was  a  decided 
Royalist,  and  she  exerted  all  her  powers  to  in- 
duce Napoleon  to  make  the  attempt  to  reinstate 
the  Bourbons.  When  her  friends  congratulated 
her  upon  the  probability  that  she  would  soon  be 
Empress  of  France,  with  heartfelt  sincerity  she 
replied,  "  To  be  the  wife  of  the  first  consul  ful- 
fills my  highest  ambition.  Let  me  remain  so." 
The  Bourbons  expressed  much  gratitude  at  the 
time  in  view  of  Josephine's  known  intercessions 
in  their  behalf. 

About  this  time  a  serious  accident  happened 
to  the  first  consul,  which  also  exposed  Jose- 
phine to  much  danger.  The  inhabitants  of 
Antwerp  had  made  Napoleon  a  present  of  six 
magnificent  bay  horses.  With  four  of  these 
spirited  steeds  harnessed  to  the  carriage,  Napo- 
leon was  one  day  taking  an  airing,  with  Jose- 
phinn  and  Cambaceres,  the  second  consul,  in 


JOSEPHINE  [A.D.  1800 


lUpoleon  takei  t»  the  whip.    Accident  reaulting  from  hU  uiuklllfnlne*« 

the  park.  Napoleon,  taking  a  fancy  to  drive 
four  in  hand,  mounted  the  coach-box,  and  Cae- 
sar, his  favorite  coachman,  was  stationed  be- 
hind. The  horses  soon  discovered  that  they 
had  a  new  and  inexperienced  driver,  and  start- 
ed off  at  the  top  of  their  speed.  Napoleon  lost 
all  control  over  them,  and  the  frightened  ani- 
mals, perfectly  ungovernable,  dashed  along  the 
road  at  a  fearful  rate.  Csesar  kept  shouting  to 
Napoleon,  "  Keep  in  the  middle  !"  Cambace- 
r6s,  pale  with  fright,  thrust  his  head  out  of  the 
window,  and  shouted  "  Whoa  !  whoa  !"  Jose- 
phine, greatly  alarmed,  sank  back  in  her  seat, 
and  in  silent  resignation  awaited  the  issue. 
As  they  approached  the  avenue  to  St.  Cloud, 
the  imperial  driver  had  not  sufficient  skill  to 
guide  them  safely  through  the  gateway.  The 
coach  struck  against  one  of  the  pillars,  and  was 
overturned  with  a  terrible  crash.  Josephine 
and  Cambaceres  were  considerably  bruised. 
Napoleon  was  thrown  from  his  seat  to  the  dis- 
tance of  eight  or  ten  paces,  and  was  taken  up 
insensible.  He,  however,  soon  recovered.  On 
retiring  at  night,  they  amused  themselves  in 
talking  3ver  the  misadventure.  "Mon  ami," 
said  Josephine,  laughing,  "  you  must  render 
unto  Ceesar  the  things  that  be  Caesar's*.  Let 


AJ).  1800.]       THE  CORONATION.  21fl 

Mapoleon't  rtew«  of  death.  ?ub»eqnrn»  dhungt  of  opinion 

him  keep  his  whip.  Each  to  his  vocation.* 
The  conversation  was  continued  for  some  time 
in  a  tone  of  pleasantry.  Gradually  Napoleon 
became  more  serious.  He  seemed  to  be  reflect- 
ing deeply,  and  paid  that  he  never  before  came 
so  near  to  death.  "  Indeed,"  said  he,  "  I  was 
for  some  moments  virtually  dead.  But  what 
is  death  ?  what  is  death  ?  It  is  merely  a  sleep 
without  dreams." 

Such  were  probably,  at  this  time,  the  views 
of  Napoleon  upon  immoitality.  He  subse- 
quently professed  himself  a  sincere  believer  in 
the  divine  origin  of  Christianity,  and  wished  to 
die  within  the  pale  of  the  Christian  Church. 
That  mind  which  can  contemplate  death  with 
levity  must  be  either  exceedingly  weak  or  hope- 
lessly deranged. 

While  nearly  all  who  surrounded  the  first 
consul  were  contemplating  with  the  utmost  sat- 
isfaction his  approaching  elevation  to  the  throne, 
the  subject  awakened  in  the  bosom  of  Jose- 
phine the  most  agitating  emotions.  She  saw 
in  the  splendor  of  the  throne  peril  to  her  hus- 
band, and  the  risk  of  entire  downfall  to  herself. 
"  The  real  enemies  of  Bonaparte,"  said  she  tc 
Rcederer,  "are  those  who  put  into  his  head 
ideas  of  hereditary  succession,  dynasty,  divorce. 


916  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  180i 

B«a»o«iftraacei  of  Josephine.  Titled  Ktf Uihmoa  la  Pwto 

and  marriage."  Again  she  is  represented  ai 
eaying,  "  I  do  not  approve  the  projects  of  Na- 
poleon. I  have  often  told  him  so.  He  hears 
»e  with  attention,  but  I  can  plainly  see  that  1 
make  no  impression.  The  flatterers  who  sur- 
round him  soon  obliterate  all  that  I  have  said. 
The  new  honors  which  he  will  acquire  will  aug- 
ment the  number  of  his  enemies.  The  gener- 
als will  exclaim  that  they  have  not  fought  so 
long  merely  to  substitute  the  family  of  the 
Bonapartes  for  that  of  the  Bourbons." 

The  peace  ratified  by  the  treaty  of  Amiens 
in  1802  threw  open  the  Continent  to  travelers 
from  England.  There  were  thousands  in  that 
country  who  were  great  admirers  of  Napoleon 
The  Tuilleries,  St.  CKrad,  and  Malmaison  were 
consequently  ever  thronged  with  illustrious 
strangers  from  the  island  with  which  France 
had  so  long  been  engaged  in  war.  The  cele- 
brated statesman,  Mr.  Fox,  with  Lord  and  Lady 
Holland,  Lord  Erskine,  and  several  others  of 
the  most  distinguished  of  the  English  nobility, 
were  visiting  Paris,  and  one  morning  were  at  a 
breakfast  party  at  Madame  Reoamier's.  Break 
fast  was  nearly  concluded,  when  the  sounds  of 
a  horseman  galloping  into  the  court-yard  were 
heard.  Eugene  Beauharnais  was  immediate^ 


A..D.  1802.J       THE  OORONATIBR.  217 


jocephine  invites  tl'«m  to  Malmaison.  Their  reception 

after  announced.  After  a  few  woids  of  regret 
expressed  to  the  lady  of  the  house  for  having 
arrived  so  late,  he  turned  to  Mr.  Fox  and  said, 
"  I  hope,  sir,  soon  to  .ndemnify  myself  for  the 
'ess  of  your  society  which  I  have  this  morning 
rastained.  I  am  commissioned  by  my  mother 
to  attend  you  to  Malmaison.  The  carriages 
will  be  here  in  a  few  moments  which  are  foi 
the  accommodation  of  you  and  your  friends, 
when  you  can  resolve  on  leaving  so  many 
charms  as  must  detain  you  here.  I  shall,  with 
much  pleasure,  act  as  your  guide." 

The  carriages  of  the  first  consul  soon  arrivea 
and  the  whole  party  proceeded  to  Malmaison 
Josephine  received  her  guests  with  that  cour- 
tesy and  refined  cordiality  in  which  she  was 
unrivaled.  Bonaparte,  knowing  the  powerful 
influence  of  the  illustrious  English  statesman, 
was  very  desirous  that  he  should  receive  a  fa- 
vorable impression  from  his  visit.  It  required 
but  little  effort  on  the  part  of  Josephine  to  ex- 
oel  in  the  art  of  pleasing.  She  banished  all 
parade,  and  received  her  guests  as  family  friends. 
The  day  was  spent  at  Malmaison,  and  Mr.  Fox 
afterward  stated  that  he  retired  from  the  visit 
enchanted  with  the  elegance  and  grace  of  aJL 
that  he  saw  and  heard. 


118  J  3  8  E  P  H I N  E.  [ A.D.  1804. 

DUflpation  la  P»rl*.  Napoleon  declared  emperor. 

Ten  years  had  passed,  during  which  France 
had  been  in  a  state  of  constant  warfare.  The 
short  peace  which  succeeded  the  treaty  of 
Amiens  filled  Paris  with  the  best  society  of 
Surope  Extravagance  and  dissipation  reigned 
In  the  metropolis.  But  in  those  scenes  of  dis- 
sipation neither  Napoleon  nor  Josephine  ever 
made  their  appearance.  His  mind  was  ever 
engrossed  with  the  magnificent  plans  he  was 
forming  and  the  deeds  he  was  achieving.  Jo- 
sephine was  equally  engaged  in  watching  over 
the  interests  of  her  husband,  and  in  gaining  and 
confirming  friends  to  his  cause. 

On  the  18th  of  May,  1804,  by  a  decree  of 
the  senate,  Napoleon  was  declared  Emperor 
of  France.  The  decree  was  sent  out  to  the 
various  departments  for  the  action  of  the  peo- 
ple. The  result  was,  that  3,572,329  voted  in 
the  affirmative,  while  but  2569  were  in  the 
negative.  A  more  unanimous  expression  of  a 
nation's  will  history  never  has  recorded.  The 
day  after  his  elevation  to  the  imperial  throne, 
the  emperor  .veld  a  grand  Iev6e  at  the  Tuille- 
ries,  and  Josephine,  with  many  fears  darkening 
this  hour  of  exultation,  made  her  first  appear- 
ance as  the  Empress  of  France.  The  decre« 
announcing  Napoleon  Bonaparte  to  be  the  em 


A.D.1804.]       THE  CORONATION.  219 

fotephlae'i  feari.  Grand  lerfe.  Josephine's  elerated  petition 

peror  of  France  also  declared  that  the  imperial 
dignity  should  be  hereditary  in  his  family.  The 
empress  struggled  against  her  fears,  but  her 
heart  was  heavy,  and  she  found  but  little  joy 
upon  this  high  pinnacle  of  power.  She  also 
plainly  foresaw  that  the  throne  of  her  husband, 
apparently  so  gorgeous  and  massive,  was  erect- 
ed upon  a  very  frail  foundation. 

At  the  grand  levee  held  upon  this  occasion, 
the  assembly  was  the  most  brilliant  and  numer- 
ous that  had  ever  yet  been  witnessed  in  Paris 
The  renown  of  Napoleon  now  filled  the  world, 
and  noted  men  from  every  land  thronged  hi« 
saloons.  Josephine  found  herself  elevated  to  the 
position  of  the  most  illustrious  of  the  queens  of 
Europe.  The  power  of  her  husband  was  supe- 
rior to  that  of  any  of  the  surrounding  monarchs, 
and  she  received  the  homage  of  all  as  occupying 
an  elevation  such  as  no  queen  had  ever  attained 
before. 

The  second  of  December,  1804,  was  appointed 
for  the  ceremony  of  coronation.  The  pageant 
was  to  take  place  in  the  church  of  Notre  Dame 
The  pope  came  from  Rome  to  place  the  crown 
apon  this  lofty,  though  plebeian  brow.  For  ten 
centuries  such  an  honor  had  not  been  conferred 
apon  any  monarch.  The  day  was  clear  and  brill- 


JOSEPHINK.          JA.D.  1804 


tt«p*r*ticiu  for  the  coronation.  Dreis  of  Josephine 

iant,  but  intensely  cold.  The  venerable  walls  of 
Notre  Dame  had  never  before  witnessed  suoh 
luxury  and  suoh  magnificence  as  was  now  dis> 
p.fiyed.  Carriages  glittering  with  gold  and  pur* 
p-e  trappings ;  horses  proudly  caparisoned  ;  offi- 
cers in  the  richest  uniforms,  and  in  court  dresses 
sumptuously  embroidered ;  servants  in  most  gor- 
geous liveries  ;  and  a  waving  sea  of  ostrich 
plumes,  bewildered  the  multitude  with  the  un- 
wonted splendor. 

The  empress  appeared  in  a  robe  of  white  satin, 
embroidered  with  gold,  and  profusely  ornament- 
ed with  diamonds.  A  mantle  of  crimson  velvet, 
lined  with  white  satin  and  ermine,  floated  over  her 
shoulders,  and  golden  bees  were  clustered  over 
the  dress.  The  coronation  jewels  consisted  of  a 
crown,  a  diadem,  and  a  girdle.  The  coronation 
crown  consisted  of  eight  golden  branches,  four 
in  imitation  of  palm,  and  four  of  myrtle  leaves. 
The  dew-drops  glittering  upon  this  foliage  were 
brilliant  diamonds.  A  golden-corded  band  sur- 
rounded the  crown,  embellished  with  eight  very 
large  emeralds.  The  bandeau  inclosing  the 
aead  glittered  resplendent  with  amethysts. 
This  was  the  coronation  crown,  which  was  used 
only  upon  state  occasions.  The  diadem,  whick 
was  for  more  ordinary  service,  was  composed  ~S 


A.D.  1804.]    THE  CORONATION.  221 

Drew  of  Napoleon.  The  Imperial  carriage 

four  rows  of  pearls  interlaced  with  diamonds. 
In  front  were  several  very  large  brilliants,  one 
of  which  weighed  one  hundred  and  forty-nine 
grains.  The  ceinture  or  girdle  was  of  pure  gold, 
<w  pure  as  to  be  quite  elastic,  embellished  with 
thirty-nine  rose-colored  diamonds. 

Napoleon  wore  a  close  dress  of  white  velvet, 
embroidered  in  gold,  with  diamond  buttons. 
His  stockings  were  of  white  silk.  The  robe  and 
mantle  were  of  crimson  velvet,  richly  embroid- 
ered hi  gold  and  embellished  with  diamonds. 
Napoleon  seemed  to  regret  the  vast  expense  at- 
tending this  display,  while  at  the  same  time  he 
was  conscious  of  its  importance  to  impress  the 
minds  of  the  Parisians.  The  emperor  was  pro- 
fuse in  expenditure  to  promote  the  grandeur  and 
glory  of  the  nation,  but  very  frugal  in  his  per- 
sonal expenses. 

The  imperial  carriage,  constructed  expressly 
for  the  occasion,  was  the  most  exquisite  piece  of 
workmanship  Parisian  ingenuity  could  devise. 
It  was  drawn  by  eight  bay  horses.  The  panel* 
ing  was  entirely  of  glass.  As  the  emperor  and 
empress  entered  the  carriage,  they  both,  by  mis- 
take, sat  down  with  their  backs  toward  the 
horses.  Josephine,  immediately  perceiving  the 
error,  lightly  changed  her  seat,  e  t  the  same  tim* 


JOSEPHINE.          [AJ).  1804 


A  fplndid  ptgeant.  The  throno 

saying  smilingly  to  her  husband,  as  she  point- 
ed to  the  rioh  cushion  at  her  side,  "  Mon  ami  ! 
unless  you  prefer  riding  vis-a-vis,  this  is  your 
jeat,"  Napoleon  laughed  heartily  at  the  blun- 
der, and  changed  his  seat.  Double  files  of  in- 
fantry lined  the  route  of  more  than  a  milo  and 
a  half,  extending  from  the  Tuilleries  to  Notre 
Dame.  Ten  thousand  horsemen,  in  most  gor- 
geous uniforms,  attended  the  carriages.  Half  a 
million  of  spectators  thronged  the  way,  crowd- 
ing the  windows  and  balconies,  clustered  upon 
the  house-tops,  and  filling  up  every  space  from 
whence  any  view  of  the  cortege  could  be  gained. 
The  air  was  filled  with  the  martial  strains  of  a 
thousand  bands,  with  the  thunders  of  innumer- 
able pieces  of  artillery,  and  with  the  enthusiastic 
acclamations  of  the  vast  multitude.  A  pageant 
more  sublime  this  world  perhaps  has  never  wit 
•eased. 

The  throne,  which  was  hung  with  crimson 
velvet,  was  overarched  with  a  canopy  of  tha 
same  rioh  material.  It  was  ascended  by  twen- 
ty-two circular  steps,  whieA  were  covered  with 
bine  oloth,  studded  with  golden  bees.  The  most 
illustrious  officers  of  the  empire  crowded  the 
stairs.  Napoleon  and  Josephine  sat,  side  by 
•id  A,  upon  the  throne  TWe  religions  ceremony 


A.D.  1804.]    THE  CORONATION.  225 

Napoleom  crowns  hlauclf  and  JoMfhtee.  A  tonchlmg  Men* 

occupied  nearly  four  hours.  It  was  interspersed 
with  the  most  soul-stirring  music  from  martia. 
bands  and  from  more  than  three  hundred  vocal 
performers.  When  the  pope  was  about  to  place 
the  crown  upon  the  brow  of  the  emperor,  Napo- 
leon took  it  from  him,  and  placed  it,  with  his 
own  hands,  upon  his  head.  He  then  took  it  off 
and  crowned  the  empress,  also  with  his  own 
hands,  fixing  his  eye  proudly,  yet  most  tenderly, 
npon  her.  The  heavy  crown  was  soon  after  laid 
upon  a  cushion,  while  a  smaller  diadem  was 
placed  upon  the  head  of  Josephine.  She  kneeled 
before  her  illustrious  consort  as  he  placed  the 
crown  of  France  upon  her  brow.  After  remain- 
ing for  a  moment  in  silence  in  the  posture  of 
prayer,  with  her  hands  folded  over  her  bosom, 
she  then  gracefully  rose,  her  eyes  swimming  in 
tears,  and  turned  to  her  husband  with  a  look  of 
gratitude  and  of  love  which  the  emperor  feeling 
ly  recognized.  It  was  a  touching  scene,  and  in 
that  moment  were  clustered  the  memories  of 
years. 

But  the  day  was  not  without  its  moment* 
of  anguish  for  Josephine.  In  the  brief  speech 
which  the  emperor  made  upon  the  occasion,  ha 
«*id,  "  My  dts:cndants  will  long  sit  unon  tfits 

throne?     These  words  were  as  a  dagger  to  u, 
J.9— 15 


226  JOSEPHINE.          [A  .D.  1804. 

Pioui  emotion*  of  Josephine.  Impatience  of  Napoleom 

heart  of  the  empress.  She  knew  Napoleon's  in- 
tense desire  for  an  heii.  She  knew  how  strong 
the  desire  in  France  was  that  he  should  have  a 
•on  bo  whom  to  transmit  his  throne.  She  knew 
how  much  had  been  said  respecting  the  neces- 
sity of  a  divorce.  The  most  infamous  proposals 
had  been  urged  upon  her  by  pretended  friends, 
even  by  one  of  the  brothers  of  Napoleon,  that 
she  might,  by  unfaithfulness  to  him,  obviate  the 
necessity  of  Napoleon's  seeking  another  bride. 
This  sentiment,  uttered  upon  the  day  of  corona- 
tion, filled  her  heart  with  fear  and  anguisn. 

The  shades  of  evening  had  fallen  upon  the 
swarming  city,  and  all  the  streets  of  the  metrop- 
olis and  the  broad  facade  of  the  Tuilleries  were 
glittering  with  illuminations  when  the  emperor 
and  empress  returned  to  the  palace.  Josephine, 
overcome  with  the  conflicting  emotions  which 
the  day  had  excited,  retired  to  her  apartment, 
and,  falling  upon  her  knees,  with  tears  implored 
the  guidance  of  the  King  of  kings.  Napoleon 
hastened  to  his  room,  exclaiming  impatiently 
tc  an  attendant  as  he  entered,  "  Off,  off  with 
these  confounded  trappings!"  He  threw  the 
mantle  into  one  corner  of  the  room,  and  the  gor- 
geous robe  into  another,  and,  thus  violently  dis- 
encumbering himself,  declared  that  hours  of 


A.D.  1804.J    THE  CORONATION.  227 

.  wephlne'i  foreboding*  fulfilled.  Deiirei  to  forj at  her  tide 

»uoh  mortal  tediousness  he  had  never  encoun- 
tered before. 

Josephine,  in  her  remonstrances  with  Napo- 
leon against  assuming  the  crown,  predicted, 
with  almost  prophetic  accuracy,  the  conse- 
quences which  would  ensue.  "  Will  not  your 
power,"  she  wrote  to  him,  "  opposed,  as  to  a  cer- 
tainty it  must  be,  by  the  neighboring  states, 
draw  you  into  a  war  with  them  ?  This  will 
probably  end  in  their  ruin.  Will  not  their 
neighbors,  beholding  these  effects,  combine  for 
your  destruction?  While  abroad  such  is  the 
state  of  things,  at  home  how  numerous  the  en- 
vious and  discontented !  How  many  plots  to 
disconcert,  and  how  many  conspiracies  to  pun- 
ish." 

Soon  after  the  coronation,  Josephine  was  one 
morning  in  her  garden,  when  an  intimate  friend 
called  to  see  her.  She  saluted  the  empress  by 
the  title  of  Your  Majesty.  "  Ah !"  she  ex- 
claimed,  in  tones  deeply  pathetic,  "I  entreat 
that  you  will  suffer  me,  at  least  here,  to  forget 
that  I  am  an  empress."  It  is  the  unvarying 
testimony  of  her  friends,  that,  while  she  was 
receiving  with  surpassing  gracefulness  the  con- 
gratulations  of  France  and  of  Europe,  her  heart 
was  heavy.  She  clearly  foresaw  the  peril  of 


228  JOSEPHINE.          \A.D.  1804 

Jotephina'i  regrets.  Corruption  of  the  court  of  Frtno* 

their  position,  and  trembled  in  view  of  an  ap- 
proaching downfall.  The  many  formal  cere- 
monies which  her  station  required,  and  upon 
which  Napoleon  laid  great  stress,  were  exceed- 
ingly irksome  to  one  whose  warm  heart  rejoiced 
in  the  familiarity  of  unrestrained  friendship 
She  thus  described  her  feelings :  "  The  nearer 
my  husband  approached  the  summit  of  earthly 
greatness,  the  more  dim  became  my  last  gleams 
of  happiness.  It  is  true  that  I  enjoyed  a  mag- 
nificent existence.  My  court  was  composed  of 
gentlemen  and  ladies  the  most  illustrious  in 
rank,  all  of  whom  were  emulous  of  the  honor 
of  being  presented  to  me.  But  my  time  was 
no  longer  at  my  command.  The  emperor  was 
receiving  from  every  part  of  France  congratula- 
tions upon  his  accession  to  the  throne,  while  I 
myself  sighed  in  contemplating  the  immense 
power  he  had  acquired.  The  more  I  saw  him 
loaded  with  the  gifts  of  Fortune,  the  mere  I 
feared  his  fall." 

The  court  of  France  had  for  ages  been  the 
scene  of  the  most  voluptuous  and  unblushing 
vice.  The  whole  nation  had  been  corrupted  by 
its  influence.  Dissipation  had  been  rendered 
attractive  by  the  grace  with  which  it  had  beer 
robed.  The  dissolute  manners  which  had  pre- 


A.D.1804.]       THE  CjaoNATiow.  229 

Napoleon  torapolow  in  forming  hl»  court         The  Duoheu  d'Alg  illloa. 

Tailed  at  Versailles,  the  Tuilleries,  and  St 
Cloud  no  pen  can  describe.  Napoleon  determ- 
ined that,  at  all  hazards,  his  court  should  be 
reputable  at  least  in  outward  morality.  He 
was  more  scrupulous  upon  this  point  even  than 
Josephine  herself.  Believing  that  the  downfall 
of  the  Bourbons  was  caused,  in  no  inconsidera- 
ble degree,  by  the  dissolute  lives  of  the  nobles 
and  the  courtiers,  he  would  give  no  one  an  ap- 
pointment among  the  royal  retinue  whose  char- 
acter was  not,  in  his  judgment,  above  reproach. 

The  Duchess  d'Aiguillon  had  been  a  fellow- 
captive  of  Josephine,  and,  after  their  liberation 
from  prison,  had  greatly  befriended  her.  Dur- 
ing the  license  of  those  times,  in  which  all  the 
restraints  of  Christian  morality  had  been  swept 
away,  her  character  had  not  remained  perfectly 
spotless.  She  and  her  husband  had  availed 
themselves  of  the  facile  liberty  of  divorce  which 
the  laws  had  encouraged,  and  had  formed  other 
unions.  Josephine  felt  grateful  for  the  many 
favors  she  had  received  from  the  duchess,  and 
wished  to  testify  this  gratitude  by  receiving  her 
at  court.  Napoleon  peremptorily  refused.  Jo  • 
sephine  wrote  to  her  in  the  following  terms : 

"  MY  DEAR  FRIEND, — I  am  deeply  afflicted. 
Mv  forme-  friends,  supposing  that  I  arn  able  to 


230  JOSEPHINE.  A.D.  1804. 

Latter  from  Jocephlaa  to  tha  Ducheai  d'AlguUlon. 

obtain  the  fulfillment  of  all  my  wishes,  must 
suppose  that  I  have  forgotten  the  past.  Alas ! 
it  is  not  so.  I  remember  it  too  well,  and  my 
thoughts  dwell  upon  it  more  than  I  would  have 
them.  The  more  I  think  of  what  my  friends 
did  for  me,  the  greater  is  my  sorrow  at  being 
unable  to  do  now  what  my  heart  dictates.  The 
Empress  of  France  is  but  the  first  slave  in  the 
empire,  and  can  not  pay  the  debts  of  Madame 
de  Beauharnais.  This  constitutes  the  torture 
of  my  life,  and  will  explain  why  you  do  not  oc- 
cupy a  place  near  me.  The  emperor,  indignant 
at  the  total  disregard  of  morality,  and  alarmed 
at  the  progress  it  might  still  make,  is  resolved 
that  the  example  of  a  life  of  regularity  and  of 
religion  shall  be  presented  in  the  palace  where 
he  reigns.  Desirous  of  strengthening  more  and 
more  the  Church  re-established  by  himself,  and 
unable  to  change  the  laws  appointed  by  her  ob- 
servances, his  intention  is,  at  least,  to  keep  at 
a  distance  from  his  court  all  who  may  have 
availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  for  a  li« 
voroe.  Hence  the  cause  of  his  refusing  the  fa 
vor  I  asked  of  having  you  with  me.  The  re- 
fusal has  occasioned  me  unspeakable  regret, 
but  he  is  too  absolute  to  leave  even  the  hope  of 
seeing  him  retract.  I  am  thus  constrained  t« 


A..D.1804.]       THK  CORONATION.  231 


Josephine  not  her  own  mill  mi 


renounce  the  pleasure  I  had  promised  myself 
of  being  constantly  with  you,  studying  to  make 
you  forget  the  sovereign  in  the  friend.  Pity 
my  lot  in  being  too  public  a  personage  to  follow 
my  own  inclination,  and  cherish  for  me  a  friend- 
ship, the  remembrance  of  which  gives  me  now 
as  much  pleasure  as  its  reality  afforded  conso- 
lation in  prison.  Often  do  I  regret  that  small, 
dark,  and  dismal  chamber  which  we  shared  to- 
gether, for  there,  at  least,  I  could  pour  out  my 
whole  heart,  and  was  sincerely  beloved  in  re- 
turn." 


232  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.1805 

Coronato*  ttte*.  AjtewU  of  *  tmlUoa 


CHAPTER  XL 
JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS. 

TIRING  the  whole  month  succeeding  th« 
coronation,  Paris  was  surrendered  to  fetes, 
illuminations,  and  all  manner  of  public  rejoic- 
ing. One  morning  the  empress  found  in  her 
apartment,  as  a  present  from  the  municipality 
of  the  capital,  a  toilet  service,  with  table,  ewer, 
and  basin  of  massive  gold,  wrought  with  most 
exquisite  workmanship.  An  enormous  balloon, 
in  the  form  of  the  imperial  crown,  brilliantly 
illuminated,  was  launched,  the  evening  of  tho 
coronation,  from  Paris.  The  vast  structure, 
weighing  five  hundred  pounds,  floated  most 
majestically  over  the  city,  for  a  time  the  object 
of  the  gaze  of  a  million  of  eyes,  till,  borne  away 
by  the  wind  toward  the  south,  it  disappeared 
The  next  evening  it  fell  near  the  city  of  Rome, 
nine  hundred  miles  from  Paris.  "  Sire,"  said 
a  courtier,  announcing  the  fact  to  Napoleon, 
"  your  imperial  crown  has  appeared  in  the  tw« 
great  capitals  of  the  worli  within  the  space  of 
twwnty-four  hours." 


A  D.  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  E  MPRESS.     233 

The  Italian!  petition  Napoleon  to  be  their  king.  Crowing  the  Alps 

As  soon  as  Napoleon  was  crowned  Emperor 
of  France,  the  senators  of  the  Italian  Republic, 
»»ver  which  he  had  been  elected  president,  sent 
an  earnest  petition  that  he  would  be  crowned 
their  king  at  Milan.  Napoleon  had  rescued 
them  from  the  hated  dominion  of  the  Austnaus, 
and  they  regarded  him  as  their  greatest  bene- 
factor. The  emperor  was  in  the  habit  of  set- 
ting out  on  his  various  tours  without  any  warn- 
ing. One  evening,  when  the  festivities  of  the 
baptism  of  the  second  son  of  Hortense  had  been 
kept  up  until  midnight,  Napoleon  said  quietly, 
upon  retiring,  "  Horses  at  six  for  Italy."  Jose- 
phine accompanied  her  husband  upon  this  tour. 
The  road  bridging  the  Alps,  which  Napoleon 
subsequently  constructed,  was  then  but  con- 
templated. It  was  only  by  a  rugged  and  dan- 
gerous foot-path  that  the  ascent  of  these  awful 
barriers  of  nature  could  be  surmounted.  Two 
beautiful  sedans  had  been  constructed  in  Turin 
for  the  emperor  and  empress.  The  one  for 
Napolaon  was  lined  with  crimson  silk,  riohlj 
ornamented  with  gold.  Josephine's  was  trim, 
mod  with  blue  satin,  similarly  ornamented  with 
silver.  The  sedans  were,  however,  but  little 
used,  except  in  places  where  walking  was  dan- 
gerous, as  the  empress  very  much  preferred 


234  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1803 

H«pp*ne««  Of  Jotepb Ine.  Vie w§  from  the  Alp* 

leaning  upon  the  arm  of  her  husband,  and,  in 
conversation  with  him,  gazing  upon  the  wild 
sublimities  with  which  they  were  surrounded. 
This  must  have  been  to  Josephine,  independ- 
ently of  those  inward  anxieties  which  weighed 
MO  heavily  upon  her  heart,  as  delightful  a  jour- 
ney as  a  mortal  can  enjoy.     All  Europe  was 
bowing  in  homage  before  her  illustrious  hus- 
band.    He  was  in  the  possession  of  power  such 
as  the  proudest  of  the  Csesars  might  have  en- 
vied.   Illuminations,  and  triumphal  arches,  and 
enthusiastic  acclamations  met  them  every  step 
of  their  way.     Josephine  was  in  the  possession 
of  every  possible  acquisition  earth  could  give  to 
make  her  happy,  save  only  one — her  husband 
was  not  a  father.     But  Josephine  forgot  her  so- 
licitudes in  the  exultant  hours  when  her  hus- 
band, from  the  pinnacles  of  the  Alps,  pointed 
out  to  her  the  glories  of  sunny  Italy — the  scenes 
of  past  perils,  and  conflict,  and  renown — the 
fields  in  which  he  had  led  the  armies  of  Franca 
to  the  most  brilliant  victories.     Napoleon  was 
in  fine  spirits,  and  in  these  gilded  hours  he 
looked  lovingly  upon  her,  and  they  both  were 
truly  happy.     It  is  difficult  for  the  imagination 
to  conceive  any  thing  more  attractive  for  a 
warm-hearted  and  an  enthusiastic  woman  than 


A. D.  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS     235 

Splendid  f«te  on  the  field  of  Marengo. 

to  pass  over  these  most  sublime  of  the  barriers 
of  nature,  with  Napoleon  for  a  guide  and  a  con- 
fiding friend.  Pope  Pius  VII.,  who  had  formed 
a  very  strong  friendship  for  Josephine,  accom- 
panied them  as  far  as  Turin.  When  parting, 
the  empress  made  him  a  present  of  a  beautiful 
vase  of  Sevres  china,  embellished  with  exquisite 
paintings  of  the  coronation. 

From  Turin  Napoleon  took  Josephine  to  the 
field  of  Marengo.  He  had  assembled  upon  that 
great  battle  plain,  which  his  victory  has  immor- 
talized, thirty  thousand  troops,  that  Josephine 
might  behold,  in  the  mimicry  of  war,  the  dread- 
ful scenes  which  had  deluged  those  fields  in  blood. 
It  was  the  fifth  of  May,  and  a  bright  Italian  sun 
shone  down  upon  the  magnificent  pageant.  A 
yast  elevation  was  constructed  in  the  middle  of 
the  plain,  from  which,  seated  upon  a  lofty  throne, 
the  emperor  and  empress  overlooked  the  whole 
field.  Napoleon  decorated  himself  upon  the  oo~ 
oasion  with  the  same  war-worn  garments —  the 
battered  hat,  the  tempest-torn  cloak,  the  coat  of 
*aded  blue,  and  the  long  cavalry  saber  which  he 
had  worn  amid  the  carnage  and  the  terror  of 
that  awful  day.  Many  of  the  veterans  who  had 
oeen  engaged  in  the  action  were  present.  Napo- 
leon and  Josephine  came  upon  the  ground  in  0 


JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1805 


A  tnbllme  ipeetacla.  Triumphal  entry  Into  Miiia 

magnificent  chariot,  drawn  by  eight  horses.  The 
moment  he  appeared  upon  the  plain,  one  general 
shout  of  acclamation  from  thirty  thousand  ador* 
ing  Toices  rent  the  sky.  After  the  mimic  battle 
was  ended,  the  soldiers  defiled  before  the  emperor 
and  empress,  while  he  conferred,  upon  those  who 
had  signalized  themselves  in  the  day  of  Marengo, 
the  decorations  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  The 
gorgeous  uniform  of  the  men,  the  rich  capari- 
sons and  proud  bearing  of  the  horses,  the  clangor 
of  innumerable  trumpets  and  martial  bands,  the 
glitter  of  gold  and  steel,  the  deafening  thunders 
of  artillery  and  musketry,  filling  the  air  with  one 
incessant  and  terrific  war  ;  the  dense  volumes 
of  sulphurous  smoke  rolling  heavily  over  the 
plain,  shutting  out  the  rays  of  an  unclouded  sun, 
all  combined  to  produce  an  effect  upon  the  spec- 
tators never  to  be  effaced 

On  the  eighth  of  May,  1805,  they  made  their 
triumphal  entry  into  the  city  of  Milan.  While 
the  whole  city  was  absorbed  in  those  fStes  and 
rejoicings  which  preceded  the  coronation,  the  in- 
exhaustible mind  of  Napoleon  was  occupied  in 
planning  those  splendid  public  buildings  and 
those  magnificent  improvements  which  still  com' 
memorate  the  almost  superhuman  energy  of  hii 
reign.  The  ircn  crown  of  Charlemagne,  which 


A.D.  1805.J  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRBSS.     237 


The  coronation.  Napoleon  again  crown*  himself  and  JoeepMna, 

for  a  thousand  years  had  pressed  no  brow,  was 
brought  forth  from  its  mausoleum  to  add  the  at- 
traction of  deep  poetic  sentiment  to  the  corona- 
tion The  ceremony  took  place  on  the  twenty- 
sixth  of  May,  in  the  Cathedral  of  Milan.  The 
coronation  was  conducted  with  magnificence  not 
even  surpassed  by  the  ceremony  in  Notre  Dame. 
The  empress  first  made  her  appearance,  most 
gorgeously  dressed,  and  glittering  with  dia- 
monds. She  was  personally  loved  by  the  Milan- 
ese, and  was  greeted  with  the  most  enthusiastic 
acclamations.  A  moment  after,  the  emperor 
himself  entered,  by  another  door.  He  was  ar- 
rayed in  imperial  robes  of  velvet,  purple,  and 
gold,  with  the  diadem  upon  his  brow,  and  the 
iron  crown  and  scepter  of  Charlemagne  in  hia 
hands.  Napoleon,  as  in  the  coronation  at  Paris5 
refused  to  receive  the  crown  from  the  hands  of 
another,  but  placed  it  himself  upon  his  head,  re 
peating  aloud  the  historical  words,  "  God  has 
given  it  to  me;  woe  to  him  who  touches  it," 
Josephine  then  knelt  upon  an  altar  at  hia  feet, 
and  was  again  crowned  by  her  husband. 

Josephine  remained  with  the  emperor  in  Mi- 
lan for  nearly  a  month.  He  was  busy  night  and 
lay  in  commencing  improvements  of  the  most 
•najestic  character.  The  Italians  still  look  back 


238  J«SEPH1NE.          [A.D.1805 

Entertainment!  at  Milan.  Anecdote 

to  the  reign  of  Napoleon  as  the  brightest  period 
in  their  history.  The  gay  Milanese  surren- 
dered themselves,  during  his  stay,  to  one  eon' 
tinned  scene  of  festivity.  One  day  Josephine 
and  Napoleon  had  broken  away  from  courtiers 
and  palaces,  and  all  the  pageantry  of  state,  and 
had  retreated  for  a  few  hours  to  the  retirement 
and  solitude  of  a  beautiful  little  island  in  one  of 
the  lakes  in  that  vicinity.  They  entered  the 
cabin  of  a  poor  woman.  She  had  no  idea  of  the 
illustrious  character  of  her  guests,  and,  in  an- 
swer to  their  kind  inquiries,  opened  to  them  the 
story  of  her  penury,  her  toils,  and  her  anxiety  to 
bring  up  her  three  children,  as  the  father  often 
could  obtain  no  work.  "  Now  how  much  money, 
my  good  woman,"  inquired  Napoleon,  "  would 
you  like  to  have  to  make  you  perfectly  happy  ?" 
"  Ah  !  sir,"  she  replied,  "  a  great  deal  of  money 
I  should  want."  "  But  how  much  should  yon 
desire  if  you  could  have  your  wish."  "  Oh,  sir, 
I  should  want  as  much  as  twenty  louis  (about 
eighty  dollars) ;  but  what  prospect  is  there  of 
JUT  ever  having  twenty  louis  ?"  The  emperor 
poured  into  her  lap  three  thousand  francs  (about 
six  hundred  dollars)  in  glittering  gold.  For  A 
few  moments  she  was  speechless  in  bewilder- 
ment ;  at  length,  trembling  with  emotion,  sh« 


A. D.  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     239 

Reception  at  Genoa.  A  floating  garden 

said,  "  Ah!  sir — ah !  madam,  this  is  a  great  deal 
too  much.  And  yet  you  do  not  look  as  if  you 
oouCi  sport  with  the  feelings  of  a  poor  woman." 
"No  !"  Josephine  replied,  in  the  most  gentle  ao- 
cents.  "  The  money  is  all  yours.  With  it  you 
can  now  rent  a  piece  of  ground,  purchase  a  flock 
of  goats,  and  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  bring  up 
your  children  comfortably." 

From  Milan  the  emperor  and  empress  con- 
tinued their  tour  to  Genoa.  The  restless  mind 
of  Napoleon  was  weary  even  of  the  swiftest  speed 
of  the  horses,  and  though  they  drove  from  post 
to  post  with  the  utmost  possible  rapidity,  so  that 
it  was  necessary  continually  to  throw  water  upon 
the  glowing  axle,  he  kept  calling  from  his  car- 
riage, "  On !  on  !  we  do  not  go  fast  enough  " 
Their  reception  at  Genoa  was  unequaled  by 
my  thing  they  had  before  witnessed.  lu  the 
beautiful  bay  a  floating  garden  of  orange-trees 
and  rare  plants  and  shrubbery  was  constructed 
in  honor  of  Josephine.  In  the  principal  church  of 
"  Genoa  the  Superb,"  the  emperor  and  empress 
received  the  allegiance  of  the  most  prominent  in- 
habitants. The  fetes  on  this  occasion  almost 
surpassed  the  creations  of  fancy.  The  senses 
were  bewildered  by  the  fairy  illusions  thrown 
wound  the  gorgeous  spectacle.  The  city,  with 


240  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1803 

A  gorgeou*  spectacle.  Josephine's  obedience  to  Napoleon 

all  its  picturesque  beauty  of  embattled  forts  and 
sraggy  shores — the  serenity  and  brilliance  of 
Italian  skies  in  May — the  blue  expanse  of  the 
Mediterranean — the  marble  palaces  and  glitter 
ing  domes  which  embellished  the  streets — the 
lovely  bay  whitened  with  sails — all  combined 
to  invest  the  gorgeous  spectacle  with  attractions 
such  as  are  rarely  witnessed.  From  Genoa 
they  proceeded  to  Paris,  every  where  accompa- 
nied by  the  thunders  of  artillery  and  the  blaze 
of  illuminations. 

Josephine  was  not  unfrequently  under  the 
necessity  of  taking  journeys  unaccompanied  by 
the  emperor.  On  such  occasions  the  tireless 
mind  of  Napoleon  arranged  every  particular 
with  the  utmost  precision.  A  manuscript  was 
placed  in  her  hand,  describing  the  route  she  was 
to  take,  the  places  at  which  she  was  to  stop, 
the  addresses  or  replies  she  was  to  make  to 
public  functionaries,  the  expenses  she  was  to 
incur,  and  even  the  presents  she  was  to  make. 
On  such  excursions,  Josephine  every  morning 
most  carefully  studied  her  lesson  for  the  day 
She  took  great  pleasure  in  obeying  his  directions 
exactly,  exposing  herself  to  great  inconvenien- 
ces rather  than  to  allow  herself  to  deviate  in 
the  slightest  particular  from  the  written  direo- 


A.D.  1805  j  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMFRIJSS.     241 

Difficult  road  through  the  forest  of  Ardennes. 


tions.  She  was  ever  unwilling  to  listen  to  any 
suggestions  for  change.  A  very  interesting  il- 
lustration of  her  scrupulous  adherence  to  man- 
uscript instructions  occurred  in  her  journey  t» 
Liege 

Napoleon,  in  the  directions  given  to  Jose- 
phine, had  marked  out  her  route  by  a  road 
through  the  forest  of  Ardennes.  Napoleon  had 
ordered  that  road  to  be  constructed,  and  sup- 
posed that  it  was  completed.  It  was,  howev- 
er, only  partially  made,  and  it  was  considered 
quite  unsafe  to  attempt  to  pass  over  it  with  car- 
riages. She  inquired  if  it  were  possible  to  pass. 
Being  told  that  it  was  possible,  perhaps,  but 
that  the  attempt  would  be  attended  with  great 
difficulty  and  danger,  she  replied,  "Very  well, 
then ;  we  will  at  least  try."  Some  of  the  la- 
dies accompanying  her  entreated  her  to  take 
another  route.  "  No,"  she  replied ;  "  Napoleon 
has  requested  me  to  take  this  road,  and  his 
wishes  are  my  law."  Josephine  persevered  hi 
the  attempt,  and  accomplished  the  passage 
through,  though  with  very  great  difficulty.  In 
many  places  the  workmen  on  the  road  had  to 
support  the  carriages  with  ropes  and  poles  to 
prevent  an  overturn.  It  rained  during  much 
«f  the  journey.  Josephine  and  her  ladle?  were 
19—16 


242  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  180& 

Josephine  receives  a  lecture.  Her  mind  well  stored 

often  compelled  to  alight,  and  to  walk  for  some 
distance  nearly  ankle  deep  in  mud  and  water. 
Josephine  endured  all  with  the  utmost  good 
nature.  She  was  cheered  by  the  assurance 
that  she  was  following  the  wishes  of  her  hus- 
band. Many  of  her  attendants,  however,  were 
excessively  annoyed  by  the  hardships  they  en- 
countered. The  carriage  of  the  first  femme- 
de-chambre  was  actually  overturned,  and  the 
irritated  serving- woman  could  not  restrain  her 
expressions  of  impatience  and  displeasure.  At 
last  one  of  the  distinguished  ladies  of  the  court 
took  it  upon  herself  to  lecture  the  empress  so 
roundly  for  her  blind  subservience  to  the  direc- 
tions of  Napoleon,  that  Josephine  burst  into 
tears. 

Josephine,  by  conversation,  observation,  and 
reading,  was  continually  storing  her  mind  with 
valuable  information.  In  the  various  journeyi 
she  took,  she  was  always  accompanied  by  per- 
eons  of  intelligence,  and  who  were  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  country.  While  traveling, 
she  directed  her  conversation  almost  exclusively 
upon  the  scenes  through  which  they  were  pass- 
ing. Every  thing  of  interest  was  carefully 
treasured  up  in  her  memory,  and  if  she  learned 
any  incident  connected  with  the  past  fortunes 


A.D.1S05.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.    243 

Her  klndneM  to  her  attandmtt.  Vtatti  tb*  bath*  at  Alt 


of  any  of  the  families  of  the  ladies  who  were 
with  her,  she  never  failed  to  send  a  special  mes- 
senger with  the  information,  and  to  point  out 
the  places  where  such  incidents  occurred.  She 
seemed  thus  to  be  continually  studying  for  op- 
portunities of  manifesting  kind  and  delicate  at- 
tentions to  the  ladies  of  her  household.  She 
thus  secured  a  universality  and  a  fervor  of  af- 
fection such  as  has  rarely  been  attained.  On 
these  pleasure  excursions,  the  restraints  of  the 
court  were  laid  aside,  and  there  were,  all  the 
joyous  commingling  and  affectionate  familiari- 
ty which  prevail  among  intimate  friends. 

Napoleon,  aware  of  the  vast  influence  which 
the  pomp  of  regal  state  exerts  upon  the  human 
mind,  was  very  particular  in  his  court  in  the 
observance  of  all  the  etiquette  of  royalty.  Jo- 
sephine, however,  was  always  disposed  to  es- 
cape from  the  exactions  of  the  code  ceremonial 
whenever  she  could  do  so  with  propriety.  A 
curious  instance  of  this  occurred  at  Aix  la 
Chapelle,  where  the  empress  was  passing  a  few 
days  for  the  benefit  of  the  baths.  One  evening 
she  was  sitting,  with  her  ladies  around  her, 
weary  of  the  lassitude  of  a  fashionable  water- 
ing-place, when  some  one  suggested  that,  to 
while  away  an  hour,  they  should  visit  a  oel» 


244  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1805. 

Josephine  and  her  ladle*  proceed  on  foot  to  rUit  the  model  of  P«rU. 


brated  model  of  Paris,  which  was  then  on  ex- 
hibition. The  chevalier  of  honor  was  about  to 
order  the  imperial  carriages  and  the  cortege, 
when  Josephine,  to  his  utter  consternation,  pro- 
posed that  they  should  go  on  foot.  She  wa» 
sure,  she  said,  that  the  citizens  of  Aix  la  Cha- 
pelle  were  so  kindly  disposed  toward  her,  that 
there  could  be  no  possible  danger.  The  chev- 
alier, as  far  as  he  dared  to  do,  urged  his  remon- 
strances against  such  a  breach  of  imperial  deco- 
rum ;  but  the  ladies  of  the  court  were  all  de- 
lighted with  the  plan  of  Josephine,  and  they 
set  out  on  foot,  a  brilliant  party  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  to  visit  the  exhibition.  As  the  citi- 
zens, of  course,  knew  nothing  about  this  unex- 
pected movement,  there  was  no  crowd  in  the 
streets  to  impede  their  way,  and  they  proceed- 
ed without  any  difficulty,  and  very  pleasantly, 
to  the  place  of  their  destination.  But  the  in- 
telligence of  the  adventure  of  the  court,  so  novel 
and  so  unprecedented,  was  immediately  noised 
throughout  the  town.  From  every  section  of 
the  city,  throngs,  allured  by  curiosity  and  lore 
for  Josephine,  began  to  pour  into  the  streets 
through  which  they  were  to  pass  to  see  them 
return.  The  citizens  occupying  the  dwellings 
and  the  shops  which  lined  the  streets,  instant- 


A.D  1805.     JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     245 

EnUnuiasnt  of  the  people.  Th«  party  return  on  fbot 

ly,  and  as  if  by  magic,  illuminated  their  win- 
dows. A  thousand  hands  were  busy  in  the 
eager  and  love-incited  toil.  The  party  spent 
an  hour  examining  the  beautiful  model  of  the 
metropolis,  and  then  emerged  again  into  the 
street.  To  their  surprise,  and  not  a  little  to 
their  consternation,  they  found  their  path  blaz- 
ing with  illuminations.  Their  whole  route  was 
filled  with  a  dense  throng  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  all  eager  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  their 
beloved  empress,  and  of  the  brilliant  suite  which 
accompanied  her. 

The  ladies  recoiled  from  attempting  the  pas- 
sage on  foot  through  such  a  crowd,  and  pro- 
posed sending  for  the  carriages  and  escort. 
Josephine,  apprehensive  that  some  accident 
might  occur  in  attempting  to  drive  the  horses 
through  such  a  dense  mass  of  people,  would  not 
listen  to  the  suggestion.  "  Were  any  one  to 
be  injured,"  she  said,  "  of  these  friends  whom 
our  imprudence  has  assembled,  I  never  could 
forgive  myself."  Taking  the  arm  of  the  ohev- 
nlier,  she  led  the  way  through  the  crowd.  The 
ladies  all  followed,  each  supported  by  the  arm 
yf  some  nobleman  of  the  court.  The  populace 
respectfully  opened  before  them,  and  closed  up 
behind.  The  plumes,  and  diamonds,  and  gay 


246  JOSEPHINE.  [A.D.1805 

Josephine's  candor.  Fond  of  breakfasting  In  the  open  «Jr 

attire  of  the  court  shone  brilliantly  in  the  blaze 
of  light  which  was  shed  upon  them  from  the  il- 
Inminated  windows.  The  enthusiastic  accla 
mations  of  the  populace  greeted  the  empress 
until  she  arrived,  in  perfect  safety,  at  her  resi- 
dence. As  soon  as  she  entered  her  saloon,  with 
her  accustomed  frankness  she  thanked  the 
chevalier  for  the  advice  which  he  had  given, 
and  confessed  that,  in  not  following  it,  she  had 
been  guilty  of  imprudence,  which  might  have 
been  attended  by  very  serious  consequences 

When  traveling  unaccompanied  by  the  em- 
peror, she  was  fond  of  breakfasting  in  the  open 
air,  upon  some  green  lawn,  beneath  the  shade 
of  venerable  trees,  or  upon  some  eminence, 
where  her  eye  could  feast  upon  the  sublimities 
of  Nature,  which  are  so  attractive  to  every  en- 
nobled mind.  The  peasantry,  from  a  respectful 
distance,  would  look  upon  the  dazzling  specta- 
cle perfectly  bewildered  and  awe-stricken.  The 
sendee  of  silver  and  of  gold,  the  luxurious  ri- 
ands,  the  gorgeous  display  of  graceful  female 
attire,  and  uniforms  and  liveries,  all  combined 
to  invest  the  scene,  in  their  eyes,  with  a  splen- 
dor almost  more  than  earthly. 

On  one  occasion,  a  mother's  love  and  prida 
triumphed  over  even  her  scrupulous  obedience 


A..D.  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     247 

fta  preiecUtion.  Jotephlne'i  maternal  scniltlv-cne** 

to  the  wishes  of  Napoleon.  Napoleon  and  Jo- 
sephine, accompanied  by  Eugene  and  a  very 
magnificent  retinue,  were  at  Mayenoe.  There 
was  to  be  a  grand  presentation  of  the  German 
princes  to  the  emperor  and  empress.  Eugene, 
the  son  of  the  empress,  according  to  the  laws 
of  court  etiquette,  should  have  been  included 
with  Napoleon  and  Josephine  in  the  presenta- 
tion. By  some  oversight,  his  name  was  omit- 
ted. As  Josephine  glanced  her  eye  over  the 
programme,  she  noticed  the  omission,  and  point- 
ed it  out  to  Napoleon.  As  the  arrangements  had 
all  been  made  by  him,  he  was  not  a  little  piqued 
in  finding  himself  at  fault  as  to  a  point  of  eti- 
quette, and  insisted  upon  following  the  pro- 
gramme. Josephine,  ever  ready  to  make  any 
personal  sacrifice  to  meet  the  wishes  of  Napo- 
leon, could  not  be  induced  to  sacrifice  the  sensi- 
tive feelings  of  her  son.  "  I  had  no  desire,"  she 
said,  "  for  the  honors  of  coronation ;  but,  since 
I  hare  been  crowned,  my  son  must  be  treated 
as  the  son  of  an  empress."  Napoleon  yielded, 
not,  however,  with  very  good  grace. 

Two  of  the  princesses  of  Baden,  on  this  ooca 
flion,  accompanied  Josephine  to  the  opera.     The 
evening  air  was  chilly,  and  the  empress,  observ- 
ing that  they  were  very  thinly  clad,  spread  over 


248  JOSEPHINE          [A.D.  1805 

An  expmuire  compliment  A  delightful  excnrdoi 

the  shoulders  of  each  of  them  one  of  her  rich 
white  Cashmere  shawls.  These  shawls  were  of 
the  most  costly  texture,  and  had  been  purchased 
At  an  expense  of  several  thousand  dollars.  The 
next  morning  the  elder  of  the  princesses  sent  a 
note,  full  of  complimentary  terms,  to  Josephine, 
expressing  their  infinite  obligation  for  her  kind- 
ness, and  stating  that  they  would  keep  the 
shawls  in  remembrance  of  one  they  so  greatly 
admired. 

On  these  journeys  Napoleon  was  full  of  pleas- 
antry, and  very  agreeable.  Josephine  often 
spoke  of  this  excursion  to  Mayence  in  particular 
as  the  most  delightful  that  she  had  ever  made 
with  the  emperor.  They  were  met  at  every 
step  on  their  route  with  the  most  enthusiastic 
testimonials  of  a  nation's  love  and  gratitude. 
And  Napoleon  had  at  this  time  conferred  bene- 
fits upon  France  which  richly  entitled  him  to  all 
this  homage.  In  subsequent  years,  when  intox- 
icated by  the  almost  boundless  empire  he  had 
obtained,  and  when,  at  a  still  later  period,  he 
was  struggling,  with  the  energies  of  despair, 
against  Europe,  in  arms  to  crush  him,  he  resort- 
ed to  acts  which  very  considerably  impaired  his 
good  name.  Josephine,  in  her  journal  during 
this  journey,  speaks  of  the  common,  but  errone- 


A.D.  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS. 


Personal  habit*  of  Napoleon.  He  ileepi  on  the  flaid  of  battl* 

ous  impression,  that  Napoleon  could  work  con- 
stantly and  habitually  with  very  few  hours  de- 
voted to  sleep.  She  says  that  this  was  an  erro- 
neous impression.  If  the  emperor  rose  at  a  very 
early  hour  in  the  morning,  he  would  frequent- 
'y  retire  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening.  And 
when,  on  extraordinary  occasions,  he  passed 
many  nights  together  in  almost  sleepless  activ- 
ity, he  had  the  faculty  of  catching  short  naps 
at  intervals  in  his  carriage,  and  even  on  horse- 
back. After  many  days  and  nights  of  prepara- 
tion for  some  great  conflict,  he  has  been  known 
even  to  fall  asleep  upon  the  field  of  battle,  in  the 
midst  of  all  the  horrors  of  the  sanguinary  scene. 
At  the  battle  of  Bautzen,  for  instance,  Napoleon 
was  extremely  fatigued  by  the  exertions  and 
sleeplessness  of  the  two  preceding  days  and 
nights.  He  fell  asleep  several  times  when  seat- 
ed on  an  eminence,  overlooking  the  field  of  bat- 
tle, and  which  was  frequently  reached  by  the 
cannon  balls  of  the  enemy.  Napoleon,  at  St 
Helena,  when  alluding  to  this  fact,  said  that 
Nature  had  her  rights,  which  could  not  be  vio- 
lated with  impunity  ;  and  that  he  felt  better  pre- 
pared to  issue  fresh  orders,  or  to  consider  the 
reports  which  were  brought,  when  awaking 
from  these  momentary  slumbers.  Though  Na 


250  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1805 

Napoleon'*  wonderful  mental  activity.  Retirement  at  Malmaison 

eon  could  not  set  at  defiance  the  established 
g  of  our  mental  and  physical  nature,  words 
ean  hardly  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the  inde- 
fatigable activity  of  his  mind,  or  of  his  extraor- 
dinary powers  of  enduring  mental  and  bodily  fa 
tigue.  Few  have  ever  understood  better  the  art 
of  concentrating  the  attention  upon  one  thing  at 
a  tune.  °ften,  on  his  campaigns,  after  reading 
the  dispatches,  and  dictating  orders  to  one  set 
of  secretaries  during  the  whole  day,  he  would 
throw  himself,  for  an  hour,  upon  his  sofa,  in- 
stantly fall  into  the  soundest  sleep,  and  then, 
summoning  to  his  presence  a  new  relay  of  sec- 
retaries, would  keep  them  incessantly  occupied 
till  morning.  To  keep  himself  awake  on  such 
occasions,  he  resorted  to  strong  coffee.  It  was 
only  under  the  pressure  of  great  necessity  that 
he  thus  overtasked  his  Herculean  powers. 

Occasionally,  when  Napoleon  was  absent  on 
his  campaigns,  Josephine  would  retire  to  Mal- 
rnaison,  and  become  deeply  interested  in  rural 
occupations.  She  had  a  large  and  very  fine 
flock  of  merino  sheep,  and  she  took  great  pleas- 
are  in  superintending  their  culture.  A  detach- 
ment of  the  imperial  guard  was,  on  such  occa- 
sions, appointed  to  do  duty  at  Malmaison.  One 
•roning  the  empress,  sitting  up  till  a  later  hour 


A.D.  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     251 

Anecdote.  Instruction*  to  a  lady  reipec ting  etiquette 

than  usual,  heard  the  sound  of  footsteps  passing 
to  and  fro  beneath  her  window.  She  sent  for 
the  officer  of  the  guard,  and  inquired  what  it 
meant.  He  informed  her  that  it  was  the  sentry, 
who  was  appointed  to  keep  watch  beneath  her 
window  all  night.  "  Sir,"  she  replied,  "  I  have 
no  need  of  a  night-guard.  These  brave  soldiers 
have  enough  to  suffer  from  the  hardships  of  war 
when  they  are  under  the  necessity  of  going  to 
the  field  of  battle.  In  my  service  they  must 
have  repose.  I  wish  them  here  to  have  no  sleep- 
less nights." 

It  is  said  that  rather  a  ludicrous  occurrence 
took  place  in  one  of  the  cities  of  the  Rhine,  in 
reference  to  a  visit  which  the  emperor  and  em- 
press were  about  to  make  to  that  place.  One 
of  the  distinguished  ladies  of  the  city,  who  was 
anticipating  the  honor  of  a  presentation,  wrote 
to  obtain  from  the  master  of  the  ceremonies 
instructions  respecting  the  etiquette  to  be  ob- 
served. The  answer  contained  very  minute 
directions,  and  was  couched  in  terms  which 
conveyed  a  deep  impression  of  their  importance. 
Among  other  things,  it  was  stated  that  three 
courtesies  were  to  be  made  ;  one  immediately 
upon  entering  the  saloon,  one  in  the  middle  of 
the  room,  and  a  third,  en  pirouette,  when  hav- 


262  JOSEPHINE.          [A.DJSOrt 

The  court  at  Colofc*.  £» 


ing  arrived  within  a  few  paces  of  the  emperor 
and  empress.  The  familiar  signification  of  en 
pirouette  is  whirling  the  body  around  rapidly 
upon  the  toes  of  one  foot,  the  other  foot  being 
rather  indecorously  raised.  The  ladies  assem- 
bled to  study  these  instructions;  and  though 
some  of  the  young,  the  beautiful,  and  the  grace- 
ful were  not  unwilling  thus  to  display  their 
lightness  of  limb,  there  were  others  who  read 
en  pirouette  with  consternation.  The  vast  im- 
portance which  Napoleon  attached  to  every 
form  of  etiquette  was  well  known.  There  was 
no  alternative;  the  fat  and  the  lean,  the  tall 
and  the  short,  the  graceful  and  the  awkward, 
all  were  to  approach  their  majesties  en  pirou- 
ette, or  to  lose  the  honor  of  a  presentation. 
"We  have  a  fortnight  for  practice,"  said  one 
of  the  ladies  ;  "let  us  prepare  ourselves."  For 
fifteen  days  all  the  drawing-rooms  of  Cologne 
seemed  to  be  filled  with  dancing  dervises.  Ven- 
erable dowagers  were  twirling  like  opera  girls, 
and  not  unfrequently  measuring  their  portly 
length  upon  the  carpet.  En  pirouette  was  the 
theme  of  every  tongue,  and  the  scene,  morning, 
noon,  and  evening,  in  every  ambitious  saloon. 

On  the  evening  of  the  arrival  of  the  emperoi 
and  empress,  the  same  lady  who  had  written 


A.D.1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     263 

An  amusing  misunderstanding.          Josephine  accused  of  extnragano*. 

the  letter  for  instructions  called  upon  one  of 
the  ladies  of  the  court  for  still  more  precise  di 
reotions.  She  then  learned  that,  in  court  phrase, 
en  pirouette  simply  indicated  a  slight  inclina- 
tion of  the  body  toward  their  majesties,  accom- 
panying the  courtesy.  The  intelligence  was 
immediately  disseminated  through  Cologne,  to 
the  great  relief  of  some,  and,  probably,  not  a 
little  to  the  disappointment  of  others.  Jose- 
phine was  exceedingly  amused  at  the  recital  of 
this  misunderstanding. 

Josephine  was  often  accused  of  extravagance 
Her  expenditures  were  undoubtedly  very  great. 
She  attached  no  value  to  money  but  as  a  means 
cf  promoting  happiness.  She  was,  perhaps,  too 
easily  persuaded  to  purchase  of  those  who  were 
ever  urging  upon  her  the  most  costly  articles, 
and  appealing  powerfully  to  her  sympathies  to 
induce  her  to  buy.  It  was  difficult  for  Jose- 
pnine  to  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  a  tale  of  distress. 
Napoleon  was  ever  ready  to  spend  millions  upon 
millions  in  great  public  improvements,  but  he 
was  not  willing  to  have  any  money  wasted. 
Josephine  gave  away  most  liberally  in  charity, 
and  the  emperor,  at  times,  complained  a  little 
•f  the  'arge  sums  which  escaped  through  her 
hands.  In  replying  once  to  a  friend,  who  told 


254  JOSEPHINE.          [A. D.  1805 

JoMphlne  it  charged  by  Napoleon  with  Indiscretion. 


her  that  she  was  deemed  extravagant,  she  said, 
"When  I  have  money,  you  know  how  I  em- 
ploy it.  I  give  it  principally  to  the  unfortu 
aate,  who  solicit  my  assistance,  and  to  the  poot 
emigrants.  But  I  will  try  to  be  more  econom- 
ical in  future.  Tell  the  emperor  so  if  you  see 
him  again.  But  is  it  not  my  duty  to  bestow 
as  much  charity  as  I  can  ?" 

On  one  occasion  Napoleon  was  much  dis- 
pleased by  hearing  that  Josephine  had  suffered 
General  Lorges,  the  commandant  at  Aix  la 
Chapelle,  a  young  and  handsome  man,  to  be 
guilty  of  the  indiscretion  of  sitting  upon  the 
same  sofa  with,  the  empress.  He  reproached 
her  with  much  severity  for  permitting  such  in- 
decorum. Josephine  explained  the  circumstan- 
ces. Instead  of  its  being  General  Lorges  who 
had  thus  violated  the  rules  of  courtly  propriety, 
it  was  one  of  the  aged  and  veteran  generals  of 
Napoleon's  army,  who,  inured  to  the  hardships 
of  tha  camp,  was  entirely  unacquainted  with 
the  politeness  of  courts.  He  had  been  present- 
ed  to  Josephine,  and,  without  any  conscious- 
ness of  the  impropriety  of  which  he  was  guilty, 
immediately  seated  himself  upon  the  same  sofa 
with  the  empress.  Josephine  was  unwilling  to 
wound  the  feelings  of  the  honest-hearted  old 


A.D.1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     253 

The  explanation.          Marriage  of  Eugene.          Happiness  of  JoMphiM 

soldier,  and  permitted  him  to  retain  his  seat 
until  he  withdrew.  Napoleon  was  perfectly 
satisfied  with  the  explanation,  and,  upon  re- 
ceiving it,  manifested  renewed  indications  of 
the  affection  and  esteem  with  which  he  regard- 
ed  the  empress. 

About  this  time  Josephine  was  informed  ol 
the  contemplated  alliance  between  Eugene  and 
the  Princess-royal  of  Bavaria.  She  was  soon 
summoned  to  Munich  to  attend  their  nuptials, 
and  there  again  was  united  to  those  she  so  dear- 
ly loved.  The  bride  of  Eugene  was  in  every 
respect  worthy  of  him,  and  Josephine  rejoiced 
over  the  happiness  of  her  son.  The  victorious 
emperor  and  empress  then  returned  to  Paris,  ac- 
companied by  a  crowd  of  princes  from  the  vari- 
ous courts  of  Germany.  Josephine  was  now 
upon  the  very  summit  of  earthly  grandeur 
Europe  lay  prostrate  at  the  feet  of  her  husband. 
Hortense  was  Queen  of  Holland.  Eugene  was 
Viceroy  of  Italy,  and  son-in-law  to  the  King  of 
Bavaria.  Napoleon,  fixing  his  affections  upon 
the  eldest  child  of  Hortense,  appeared  to  have 
relinquished  the  plan  of  the  divorce,  and  to  have 
contemplated  the  recognition  of  this  child — the 
brother  of  Louis  Napoleon,  now  President  of  the 
French  Republic — as  the  hei  r  of  his  crown.  The 


256  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1805 

Jocephlne  anlrersall;  beloved.  Her  habit  of  journal) zing 

embarrassment  which  had  at  times  accompanied 
their  interviews  had  consequently  passed  away. 
Napoleon  was  proud  of  Josephine,  and  often  said 
that  there  was  no  woman  in  the  world  to  be  com- 
pared with  her.  The  empress  was  happy.  All 
France  was  filled  with  stories  of  her  active  be- 
nevolence and  her  sympathy  with  the  sorrowful. 
Wherever  she  made  her  appearance,  she  was 
greeted  with  the  acclamations  of  the  most  en- 
thusiastic attachment. 

Of  the  many  tours  which  Josephine  took  with 
Napoleon,  she  frequently  kept  a  journal,  noting 
down  the  events  of  interest  which  occurred. 
The  fragments  of  these  journals,  which  have  ap- 
peared before  the  public,  beautifully  exhibit  the 
literary  taste  and  the  benevolence  of  heart  of 
the  empress.  The  following  is  an  extract : 

"  About  two  leagues  from  Bayonne  the  em- 
peror was  presented  with  a  spectacle  worthy  of 
him.  On  the  declivity  of  a  mountain,  gently 
scooped  out  in  different  parts  of  its  descent,  is 
pitched  one  of  those  camps  which  the  foresight 
of  the  country  has  provided  for  its  defenders.  Jt 
is  composed  of  seven  handsome  barracks,  differ- 
ent in  form  and  aspect,  each  isolated,  surrounded 
with  an  orchard  in  full  bearing,  a  well -stocked 
poultry-yard,  and,  at  different  distances,  a  great- 


A.D  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     25? 

Beautiful  attract  from  one  of  her  journal*. 


er  or  less  quantity  of  arable  land,  where  a  divers- 
ity of  soil  yields  a  variety  of  produce.  One  side 
of  the  mountain  is  wild,  but  picturesque,  with 
rooks  and  plants.  The  other  seems  covered  with 
rich  tapestry,  so  varied  and  numerous  are  the 
plots  of  highly-cultivated  ground.  The  summit 
i»  clothed  with  an  ever-verdant  forest.  Down 
the  center,  in  a  deep  channel,  flows  a  limpid 
stream,  refreshing  and  fertilizing  the  whole 
scene.  On  this  spot,  the  veterans  who  occupy 
it  gave  a  fete  to  the  emperor  which  was  at  once 
military  and  rural.  The  wives,  daughters,  and 
little  children  of  these  brave  men  formed  the 
most  pleasing,  as  they  were  themselves  the  no- 
blest ornament  of  the  festival.  Amid  piles  of 
arms  were  seen  beautiful  shrubs  covered  with 
flowers,  while  the  echoes  of  the  mountain  re- 
sounded to  the  bleating  of  flocks  and  the  warlike 
strains  of  a  soldiery  intoxicated  on  thus  receiv- 
ing their  chief.  The  emperor  raised  this  enthu- 
siasm to  the  highest  pitch  by  sitting  down  at  a 
table  at  once  quite  military  and  perfectly  pas- 
toral.  I  dare  not  mention  the  attentions  of  which 
J  was  the  object.  They  affected  me  deeply.  J 
regarded  them  as  proofs  of  that  veneration  which 
France  has  vowed  to  the  emperor." 

The  infamous  Ferdinand  uf  Spain,  who  wit 
19—17 


253  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1805 

Ferdinand  of  Spain.  A  pkitureaqua  tetmu 

then  claiming  the  throne,  in  a  disgraceful  quar- 
rel with  his  equally  infamous  father,  sent  an 
embassador  to  Bayonne  to  meet  the  emperor. 
Ferdinand,  with  the  utmost  servility,  was  court- 
ing the  support  of  Napoleon.  The  embassador 
possessed,  some  leagues  from  Bayonne,  an  exten- 
sive farm,  on  which  were  bred  numerous  flocks 
of  merinoes.  "  Thither,"  writes  Josephine,  "  un- 
der a  plausible  pretext,  we  were  conducted  to- 
day. After  a  feast  of  really  rustic  magnificence, 
we  made  the  tour  of  the  possession  on  foot.  At 
the  bottom  of  a  verdant  dell,  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  rocks,  covered  with  moss  and  flowers, 
all  of  a  sudden  a  picturesque  cot  appeared, 
lightly  suspended  on  a  projecting  point  of  rook. 
Around  it  were  feeding  seven  or  eight  hundred 
sheep  of  the  most  beautiful  breed.  We  could  not 
restrain  a  ory  of  admiration.  Upon  the  emper- 
or addressing  some  compliments  to  the  embassa- 
dor, he  declared  that  these  flocks  belonged  to  me. 
4  The  king,  my  master,'  he  added,  '  knows  the 
empress's  taste  for  rural  occupations,  and  as  thif 
species  of  sheep  is  little  known  in  Francev  and 
will  constitute  the  principal  ornament,  and,  con- 
sequently, wealth  of  a  farm,  he  entreats  her  not 
to  deprive  herself  of  an  offering  at  once  so  use- 
ful and  so  agreeable.'  '  Don  Pedro,'  replied  tb« 


AJ).  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     269 

Routine  of  Ufa.  Account  thereof  by  a  ralet  de  chmmbre 

emperor,  with  a  tone  of  severity,  *  the  empress 
can  not  accept  a  present  save  from  the  hand  of 
a  king,  and  your  master  is  not  yet  one.  Wait, 
before  making  your  offering,  till  your  own  na- 
tion and  I  have  decided.'  " 

The  ordinary  routine  of  life  with  her,  as  em- 
press,  was  as  follows.  Constant,  the  valet  do 
ohambre  of  Napoleon,  gives  the  following  ao- 
connt  of  the  commencement  of  the  day.  "  I 
had  a  regular  order  to  enter  the  emperor's  apart- 
ment at  seven  o'clock.  When  the  empress 
passed  the  night  there,  it  was  a  very  unusual 
occurrence  not  to  find  the  august  spouses  awake. 
The  emperor  commonly  asked  for  tea  or  an  in- 
fusion of  orange-flowers,  and  rose  immediately 
after.  In  the  course  of  a  few  minutes  the  em- 
press rose  also,  and,  putting  on  a  loose  morning- 
gown,  either  read  the  journals  while  the  emper- 
or dressed,  or  retired  by  a  private  access  to  her 
own  apartments,  but  never  without  addressing 
•ome  kind  and  condescending  words  to  myself." 

Josephine  invariably  commenced  her  mom 
ing  toilet  at  nine  o'clock.  This  occupied  an 
hour,  and  then  she  passed  into  a  saloon  where 
she  received  those  who  had  obtained  the  favor 
of  a  morning  presentation.  A  great  many  pe- 
titions were  presented  her  on  such  occasions. 


260  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1S05 

Morning  occupations.  Literary  enjoyment*. 

and,  with  unvarying  kindness,  she  manifested 
great  firmness  in  rejecting  those  which  appeared 
unworthy  of  her  support.  These  audiences  oo» 
oupied  an  hour,  and  then  she  met,  at  eleven 
o'clock,  the  most  distinguished  ladies  cf  the 
court  at  the  breakfast-table.  Napoleon,  entire- 
ly engrossed  by  those  majestic  plans  he  was 
ever  conceiving  and  executing,  usually  break- 
fasted alone  in  his  cabinet,  very  hastily,  not  al- 
lowing more  than  seven  or  eight  minutes  to  be 
occupied  by  the  meal.  After  breakfast,  Jose- 
phine, with  her  ladies,  took  a  short  walk,  if  the 
weather  was  fair,  or  for  half  an  hour  played  a 
game  of  billiards.  The  remainder  of  the  morn- 
ing, until  three  o'clock,  she  passed  in  her  apart- 
ment, with  her  chosen  female  friends,  reading, 
conversing,  and  embroidering.  Josephine  her- 
self was  an  admirable  reader,  and  the  book  they 
were  perusing  was  passed  alternately  from  hand 
to  hand.  No  works  were  read  but  those  of  real 
value.  By  common  consent,  all  novels  were 
banished  from  the  circle,  as  Napoleon  inveter- 
ately  abominated  every  wark  of  that  kind.  If 
he  happened  to  find  a  novel  iu  the  hands  of  any 
of  the  attendants  of  the  palace,  he  unhesitating- 
ly tossed  it  into  the  fire,  and  roundly  lectured 
the  reader  upon  her  waste  of  time,  If  Jose- 


A-D.  180fi.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     263 


GonfldcHtial  interview*.  The  Jrlro.  Dressing  for  dlnnet 

phine  had  been  a  novel  reader,  she  never  could 
have  acquired  that  mental  energy  which  ena» 
bled  her  to  fill  with  dignity  and  with  honor  ev 
cry  position  she  was  called  to  occupy. 

Occasionally  Napoleon  would  leave  his  cabi- 
net and  enter  the  apartment  of  the  empress 
where  the  ladies  were  reading.  His  presence 
was  ever  cordially  greeted,  and,  with  great  so- 
ciability, he  would  for  a  few  moments  converse 
with  his  friends,  and  then  return  to  his  work. 
Not  unfrequently  the  emperor  wished  to  confer 
with  Josephine  upon  some  subject  of  moment. 
A  gentle  tap  from  his  hand  at  the  door  of  pri- 
vate communication  announced  to  the  empress 
the  summons,  which  she  ever  most  joyfully 
obeyed.  Occasionally  these  interviews  were 
protracted  for  several  hours,  for  the  emperor 
had  learned  to  repose  great  confidence  in  many 
matters  upon  the  sound  judgment  of  Josephine. 

At  three  o'clock  the  carriages  were  at  the 
door,  and  Josephine,  with  her  ladies,  rode  out. 
It  was  very  seldom  that  Napoleon  could  find 
tirie  to  accompany  them.  On  returning  from 
the  drive,  she  dressed  for  dinner.  Napoleon  at- 
tached much  importance  to  this  grand  toilet, 
for  he  was  fully  aware  of  the  influence  of  cos- 
tume upon  the  public  mind,  and  was  very  fond 


262  JOSEPHINE.           [A.D.  1805 

Recreations  of  Napoleon.  The  dinner  boor 

of  seeing  Josephine  dressed  with  elegance  and 
taste.  It  is  reported  that  he  not  unfrequently 
recreated  himself  by  entering  her  boudoir  on 
such  occasions,  and  suggesting  the  robe  or  the 
jewelry  he  would  like  to  have  her  wear.  Her 
waiting- women  were  not  a  little  embarrassed 
by  the  manner  in  which  his  unskillful  hands 
would  throw  about  the  precious  contents  of  the 
caskets,  and  the  confusion  into  which  he  would 
toss  all  the  nameless  articles  of  a  lady's  ward- 
robe. 

Dinner  was  appointed  at  six  o'clock.  It  was, 
however,  served  when  Napoleon  was  ready  to 
receive  it.  Not  unfrequently,  when  much  en- 
grossed with  business,  he  would  postpone  the 
hour  until  nine,  and  even  ten  o'clock.  The 
cook,  during  all  this  time,  would  be  preparing 
fresh  viands,  that  a  hot  dinner  might  be  ready 
at  a  moment's  warning.  A  chicken,  for  in- 
stance, was  put  upon  the  spit  every  fifteen  min- 
utes. Napoleon  and  Josephine  always  dined  to 
gether,  sometimes  alone,  more  frequently  with 
a  few  invited  guests.  There  was  a  grand  ma»- 
ter  of  ceremonies,  who,  on  all  such  occasions,  in- 
formed the  grand  marshal  of  the  necessary  ar- 
rangements, and  of  the  seat  each  guest  was  to 
occupy. 


A.D.  1805.]  JCSEPHINB  AN  EMPRESS.     268 

Dining  In  state.  Eraing  partie* 

Occasionally  the  emperor  and  empress  dined 
in  state .  Rich  drapery  canopied  the  table,  which 
was  placed  upon  a  platform,  slightly  elevated, 
with  two  arm-chairs  of  gorgeous  workmanship, 
on&  for  Napoleon,  and  the  other,  upon  his  left, 
for  Josephine.  Other  tables  were  placed  upon 
the  floor  of  the  same  room  for  illustrious  guests 
The  grand  marshal  announced  to  the  emperor 
when  the  preparations  for  them  to  enter  the 
room  was  completed.  A  gorgeous  procession  of 
pages,  marshals,  equeries,  and  chamberlains  ao 
oompanied  the  emperor  and  empress  into  the 
hall.  Pages  and  stewards  performed  the  sub- 
ordinate parts  of  the  service  at  the  table,  in 
bringing  and  removing  dishes,  while  noblemen 
of  the  highest  rank  felt  honored  in  minister- 
ing to  the  immediate  wants  of  their  majesties. 
Those  who  sat  at  the  surrounding  tables  were 
served  by  servants  in  livery. 

Josephine  passed  the  evening  in  her  apart- 
ment  almost  invariably  with  a  party  either  of 
invited  guests,  or  of  distinguished  ministers  and 
officers  of  the  empire,  who,  having  called  on  bus- 
iness, were  awaiting  the  pleasure  of  Napoleon. 
There  were  frequent  receptions  and  levees,  which 
filled  the  saloons  of  the  palace  with  a  brilliant 
throng.  At  midnight  all  company  retired,  and 


264  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.1805 

Josephine'!  love  of  solitude.  Hunting  partie* 

the  palace  was  still.  Josephine  loved  the  silence 
of  these  midnight  hours,  when  the  turmoil  of 
the  day  had  passed,  and  no  sounds  fell  upon  her 
ear  but  the  footfalls  of  the  sentinel  in  the  court- 
yard below.  She  often  sat  for  an  hour  alone, 
surrendering  herself  co  the  luxury  of  solitude 
and  of  undisturbed  thought. 

Such  was  the  general  routine  of  the  life  of 
Josephine  while  empress.  She  passed  from  one 
to  another  of  the  various  royal  residences,  equal- 
ly at  home  in  all.  At  the  Tuilleries,  St.  Cloud, 
Versailles,  Rambouillet,  and  Fontainebleau,  life 
was  essentially  the  same.  Occasionally,  at  the 
rural  palaces,  hunting  parties  were  formed  for 
the  entertainment  of  distinguished  guests  from 
abroad.  Napoleon  himself  took  but  little  per- 
sonal interest  in  sports  of  this  kind.  On  such 
occasions,  the  empress,  with  her  ladies,  usually 
rode  in  an  open  caiecne,  and  a  pic-nic  was  pro 
vided,  to  be  spread  on  the  ^reen  turf,  beneath 
the  boughs  of  the  forest.  Once  a  terrified,  pant- 
ing stag,  exhausted  with  the  long  chase,  when 
the  hounds  in  full  bay  were  just  ready  to  spring 
upon  him,  by  a  strange  instinct  sought  a  retreat 
beneath  the  carriage  in  which  the  gentle  heart 
of  Josephine  was  throbbing.  The  appeal  was 
not  in  vain,  Josephine  plead  for  the  life  of  the 


A.D.1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     265 

The  protected  stag.  Letter  from  Josephine  to  Caroline 

meek-eyed,  trembling  suppliant.  To  mark  it 
as  her  favorite,  and  as  living  under  the  shield 
of  her  protection,  she  had  a  silver  collar  put 
around  its  neck.  The  stag  now  roamed  its  na- 
tive glades  unharmed.  No  dog  was  permitted 
to  molest  it,  and  no  sportsman  would  injure  a 
protege  of  Josephine.  Her  love  was  its  talis- 
man. 

The  following  letter,  which  at  this  time  she 
wrote  to  Caroline,  the  sister  of  Napoleon,  who 
had  married  Murat,  will  show  the  principles,  in 
the  exercise  of  which  Josephine  won  to  herself 
the  love  of  all  hearts. 

"  Our  glory,  the  glory  of  woman,  lies  in  sub- 
mission ;  and  if  it  be  permitted  us  to  reign,  our 
empire  rests  on  gentleness  and  goodness.  Your 
husband,  already  so  great  in  the  opinion  of  the 
world  through  his  valor  and  exploits,  feels  as  if 
he  beheld  all  his  laurels  brought  to  the  dust  on 
appearing  in  your  presence.  You  take  a  pride 
in  humbling  him  before  your  pretensions  ;  and 
the  title  of  being  the  sister  of  a  hero  is,  with 
you,  reason  for  believing  yourself  a  heroine.  Be- 
lieve me,  my  sister,  that  character,  with  the 
qualities  which  it  supposes,  becomes  us  not. 
Let  us  rejoice  moderately  in  the  glory  of  OUT 
husbands,  and  find  our  glory  in  softening  theii 


26G  JOSEPHINE.  [A.D.  1805. 

Josephine's  desire  to  accompany  Napoleon. 

manners,  and  leading  the  world  to  pardon  their 
deeds.  Let  us  merit  this  praise,  that  the  nation, 
while  it  applauds  the  bravery  of  our  husbands, 
may  also  commend  the  gentleness  bestowed  by 
Providence  on  their  wives  to  temper  their  brave- 
ry.» 

The  palace  ever  seemed  desolate  when  Napo- 
leon was  absent,  and  Josephine  was  always  so- 
licitous to  accompany  him  upon  his  tours.  Na- 
poleon loved  to  gratify  this  wish,  for  he  prized 
most  highly  the  companionship  of  his  only  con- 
fidential friend.  Upon  one  occasion,  when  he 
had  promised  to  take  the  empress  with  him,  cir- 
cumstances arose  demanding  special  speed,  and 
he  resolved  to  set  out  secretly  without  her.  He 
ordered  his  carriage  at  one  o'clock  in  the  morn* 
ning — an  hour  in  which  he  supposed  she  would 
be  most  soundly  asleep.  To  his  amazement, 
just  as  he  had  stepped  into  his  carriage,  Jose- 
phine, in  all  the  dishabille  of  her  night-dress, 
with  some  slight  drapery  thrown  over  her  person, 
and  without  even  stockings  upon  her  feet,  threw 
herself  into  his  arms.  Some  noise  had  at  the 
moment  awoke  her,  she  caught  an  intimation  of 
what  was  going  on,  and,  without  a  moment's 
thought,  sprang  from  her  bed,  threw  over  her  a 
oloak.  rushed  down  stairs,  and  burst  into  the 


A..D.  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     267 

Anecdote.  Vlait  to  Spala.  N»poleon'«  rtar 

carriage.  Napoleon  fondly  embraced  her,  rolled 
tier  up  warmly  in  his  own  capacious  traveling 
pelisse,  gave  orders  for  suitable  attendants  to 
follow  with  the  wardrobe  of  the  empress,  and 
the  horses,  with  lightning  speed,  darted  from  the 
court-yard.  "  I  could  sooner,"  Napoleon  would 
jocosely  say,  "  transport  the  whole  artillery  of  a 
division  of  my  grand  army,  than  the  bandboxea 
of  Josephine's  waiting- women." 

The  visit  which  Josephine  made  with  Napo- 
leon to  Spain  gave  her  such  an  insight  into  the 
Spanish  character,  that  she  looked  with  much 
alarm  upon  his  endeavor  to  place  one  of  his  broth- 
ers upon  the  Spanish  throne.  "  Napoleon,"  said 
she  one  day  to  her  ladies,  "  is  persuaded  that  he 
is  to  subjugate  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  He 
cherishes  such  a  confidence  in  his  star,  that 
should  he  be  abandoned  to-morrow  by  family 
and  allies,  a  wanderer,  and  proscribed,  he  would 
support  life,  convinced  that  he  should  triumph 
over  all  obstacles,  and  accomplish  his  destin) 
by  realizing  his  mighty  designs.  Happily,  we 
•hall  never  have  an  opportunity  of  ascertaining 
whether  I  am  right.  But  of  this  you  may  rest 
assured,  Napoleon  is  more  courageous  morally 
than  physically.  I  know  him  better  than  any 
•ne  el»e  does.  He  believes  himself  predestinat 


268  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1805 

Energy  of  Napoleon.  The  Spanish  campaign, 

ed,  and  would  support  reverses  with  as  much 
calmness  as  he  manifests  when  confronting  dan- 
ger  on  the  field  of  battle." 

Little,  did  Josephine  imagine,  when  uttering 
these  sentiments,  that  her  proud  nusband,  before 
whose  name  the  world  seemed  to  tremble,  was 
to  die  in  poverty  and  imprisonment  on  the  most 
barren  island  of  the  ocean. 

The  astounding  energy  of  Napoleon  was  con- 
spicuously displayed  about  this  time  in  his  Span- 
ish campaign.  He  had  placed  Joseph  upon  the 
throne  of  Spain,  and  had  filled  the  Peninsula 
with  his  armies.  The  Spaniards  had  every 
where  risen  against  him,  and,  guided  by  En- 
glish councils,  and  inspirited  by  the  tremendous 
energy  of  English  arms,  they  had  driven  Joseph 
from  his  capital,  had  massacred,  by  the  rage  of 
the  mob,  thousands  of  French  residents  who 
were  dwelling  in  the  Spanish  cities,  and  were 
rapidly  driving  the  French  army  over  the  Pyr- 
enees. Napoleon  had  but  just  returned  from 
the  treaty  of  Tilsit  when  he  was  informed  of 
this  discouraging  state  of  affairs. 

He  immediately,  without  a  moment  allowed 
for  repose,  set  out  for  Spain.  Josephine  earnest- 
ly entreated  permission  to  accompany  the  em- 
peror. She  assured  him  that  she  was  fully 


A.D.  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     269 

Josephine  left  at  8t  Cloud.  Enthujiiutic  greeting  of  Napoleon. 

aware  of  the  difficulties,  fatigue,  and  peril  she 
must  encounter,  but  that  most  cheerfully  could 
*he  bear  them  all  for  the  sake  of  being  with 
him.  She  said  that  she  should  neither  feel  hun- 
ger nor  cold,  nor  the  need  of  repose,  if  she  could 
bu*  be  by  the  side  of  her  husband,  and  that  all 
the  privations  of  the  camp  would  be  happiness 
when  shared  with  one  who  was  all  the  world  to 
her.  Napoleon  was  deeply  moved  by  this  exhibi- 
tion of  her  love,  but,  aware  of  the  incessant  ao 
tivity  with  which  it  would  be  necessary  for  hiir 
to  drive  by  night  and  by  day,  he  firmly  but  kind- 
ly denied  her  request.  Josephine  wept  bitterly 
as  they  parted. 

One  morning,  early  in  November,  1808,  the 
glittering  cavalcade  of  the  emperor,  at  the  ful 
gallop,  drove  into  the  encampment  of  the  retreat- 
ing French  at  Vittoria.  The  arrival  of  an  angel, 
commissioned  from  heaven  to  their  aid,  could  not 
have  inspired  the  soldiers  with  more  enthusiasm. 
The  heavens  rang  with  the  shouts  of  the  mighty 
host,  as  they  greeted  their  monarch  with  cries  of 
u  Vive  1'Empereur  !*'  Not  one  moment  was  lost. 
Napoleon  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  his  con- 
centrated  army,  and  turning  them,  now  inspir- 
ited with  the  utmost  confidence,  against  the  fees 
before  whom  they  had  been  retreating,  with  th» 


270  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.1805 

Wonderful  IUCCCM  of  Napoleon.  Alliance  ig&lxft  him 

resistlessness  of  an  avalanche  cverwhelmed  the 
Spanish  forces.  Wherever  he  appeared,  resist- 
ance melted  away  before  him.  In  the  pride  of 
achievements  almost  miraculous,  he  marched 
into  Madrid,  and  there,  in  the  capital  of  Spain* 
re-established  his  fallen  throne.  But  he  tarried 
not  there  an  hour  for  indulgence  or  repose.  The 
solid  columns  of  the  English  army,  under  Sir 
John  Moore,  were  still  in  Spain.  Napoleon 
urged  his  collected  forces,  with  all  the  energy 
which  hatred  could  inspire,  upon  his  English 
foes,  and  the  Britons,  mangled  and  bleeding, 
were  driven  into  their  ships.  The  conqueror, 
feeling  that  he  was  indeed  the  man  of  destiny, 
looked  for  a  moment  complacently  upon  Spain, 
again  in  subjection  at  his  feet,  and  then,  with 
the  speed  of  the  whirlwind,  returned  to  Jose- 
phine at  St.  Cloud,  having  been  absent  but  lit- 
tle more  than  two  months. 

In  the  mean  time,  while  Napoleon  was  far 
away  with  his  army,  upon  the  other  side  of  the 
Pyrenees,  Russia,  Sweden,  and  Austria  thought 
it  a  favorable  moment  to  attack  him  in  his  rear. 
They  brought  no  accusations  against  the  em- 
peror, they  issued  no  proclamation  of  war,  but 
secretly  and  treacherously  conspired  to  march, 
with  all  the  strength  of  their  collected  armies, 


A.P.  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  IMPRESS.     271 

HI*  indignation  rouied.  Austria  violates  the  treaty. 

upon  the  unsuspecting  emperor.  It  was  an  al- 
liance  of  the  kings  of  Europe  against  Napoleon, 
because  he  sat  upon  the  throne,  not  by  heredi- 
tary descent,  the  only  recognized  divine  right, 
out  by  the  popular  vote.  The  indignation  of 
the  emperor,  and  of  every  patriotic  Frenchman, 
had  been  roused  by  the  totally  unjustifiable,  but 
bold  and  honest  avowal  of  England,  that  peace 
could  only  be  obtained  by  the  wresting  of  the 
crown  from  the  brow  of  Napoleon,  and  replac- 
ing it  upon  the  head  of  the  rejected  Bourbon. 

The  emperor  had  been  at  St.  Cloud  but  a  short 
time,  when,  early  one  spring  morning,  a  cour- 
ier came  dashing  into  the  court-yard  of  the  pal- 
ace at  his  utmost  speed,  bringing  the  intelligence 
to  Napoleon  that  Austria  had  treacherously  vi- 
olated the  treaty  of  peace,  and,  in  alliance  with 
Russia,  Sweden,  and  England,  was  marching 
her  armies  to  invade  the  territory  of  France. 
The  emperor,  his  eye  flashing  with  indignation, 
hastily  proceeded  to  the  apartment  of  the  em- 
press with  the  papers  communicating  the  intel- 
ligence in  his  hand.  Josephine  was  asleep,  hav- 
ing but  just  retired.  He  approached  her  bed, 
and,  awaking  her  from  sound  slumber,  request- 
ed her  to  be  ready  in  two  hours  to  accompany 
him  to  Germany.  "  You  have  played  the  part 


272  JOSEPHINE.          IA.D.1805 

Promptnei*  of  Josephine.  Klndneai  of  Napoleon.         Their  route 

of  an  empress,"  said  he,  playfully,  "  long  enough. 
You  must  now  become  again  the  wife  of  a  gen- 
eral. I  leave  immediately.  Will  you  accom- 
pany me  to  Strasburg  ?"  This  was  short  no- 
tioe,  but,  with  the  utmost  alacrity,  she  obeyed 
the  joyful  summons. 

She  was  so  accustomed  to  the  sudden  move- 
ments of  the  emperor  that  she  was  not  often 
taken  by  surprise.  Promptness  was  one  of  the 
most  conspicuous  of  her  manifold  virtues.  "  I 
have  never,"  she  has  been  heard  to  say,  "  kept 
any  one  waiting  for  me  half  a  minute,  when  to 
be  punctual  depended  upon  myself.  Punctual- 
ity is  true  politeness,  especially  in  the  great." 

The  emperor  was  in  glowing  spirits.  He  had 
no  doubt  that  he  should  be  entirely  victorious, 
and  Josephine  was  made  truly  happy  by  that 
suavity  and  those  kind  attentions  which  he  in 
this  journey  so  signally  displayed.  Their  route 
conducted  them  through  some  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  fertile  valleys  of  France.  Every  whero 
around  them  they  saw  the  indications  of  pros 
perity  and  happiness.  Napoleon  was  in  the 
height  of  glory.  The  most  enthusiastic  accla- 
mations of  love  and  homage  greeted  the  emper- 
er  and  empress  wherever  the  panting  steeds 
which  drew  them  rested  for  a  moment.  AM 


A..D  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.    273 

Effect*  of  the  conscription.  Napoleon  encourage!  marriage* 

thej  stopped  for  a  new  relay  of  horses  in  one  of 
the  little  villages  of  Lorraine,  Josephine  beheld 
a  peasant  woman  kneeling  upon  the  steps  of 
the  village  church,  with  her  countenance  bathed 
in  tears.  The  aspect  of  grief  ever  touched  the 
kind  heart  of  the  empress.  She  sent  for  the  poor 
woman,  and  inquired  into  the  cause  of  her  grief. 

"  My  poor  grandson,  Joseph,"  said  she,  "  is 
included  in  the  conscription,  and,  notwithstand- 
ing all  my  prayers,  he  must  become  a  soldier. 
And  more  than  this,  his  sister  Julie  was  to  have 
been  married  to  Michael,  a  neighbor's  son,  and 
now  he  refuses  to  marry  her  because  Joseph  is  in 
the  conscription.  And  should  my  son  purchase 
a  substitute  for  poor  Joseph,  it  would  take  all 
his  money,  and  he  would  have  no  dowry  to  give 
Julie.  And  her  dowry  was  to  have  been  a  hun- 
dred and  twenty  dollars." 

"  Take  that,"  said  the  emperor,  presenting 
the  woman  with  a  purse.  "  You  will  find 
enough  who  will  be  ready  to  supply  Joseph's 
place  for  that  amount.  I  want  soldiers,  and, 
for  that,  purpose,  must  encourage  marriages.** 
Joseohine  was  so  much  interested  in  the  adven- 
ture, that,  as  soon  as  she  arrived  at  Strasburg, 
she  sent  a  valuable  bridal  present  to  Julie.  The 

good  woman's  prayers  were  answered.     Froir 

19—18 


274  JOSEPHINE.          [AD.  1805 

The  battle  at  Ulm.  Napoleon'i  adrlee  to  the  Emperor  of  Austria. 

Strasburg  Josephine  returned  to  Paris,  while 
Napoleon  pressed  on  to  encounter  the  combined 
armies  of  Austria  and  Russia  in  the  renowned 
campaign  of  Wagram. 

It  was  in  1805,  some  years  before  the  event* 
we  have  just  described,  that  Napoleon,  with  his 
enthusiastic  troops,  embarked  in  the  celebrated 
campaign  of  Ulm  and  Austerlitz.  At  Ulm  he 
surrounded  thirty  thousand  of  his  foes,  and  al- 
most without  a  skirmish  compelled  them  to 
lay  down  their  arms.  "  Your  master,"  said  he 
to  the  Austrian  generals,  as,  almost  dying  with 
mortification,  they  surrendered  their  swords, 
"  your  master  wages  against  me  an  unjust  war. 
I  say  it  candidly,  I  know  not  for  what  I  am 
fighting.  I  know  not  what  he  desires  of  me 
He  has  wished  to  remind  me  that  I  was  once  a 
soldier.  I  trust  he  will  find  that  I  have  not  for- 
gotten my  original  avocation.  I  will,  however, 
give  one  piece  of  advice  to  my  brother,  the  Em- 
peror of  Austria.  Let  him  hasten  to  make 
peace.  This  is  the  moment  to  remember  that 
there  are  limits  to  all  empires,  however  powerful, 
The  idea  that  the  house  of  Lorraine  may  come 
to  an  end  should  inspire  him  with  distrust  of 
fortune.  I  want  nothing  on  the  Continent.  1 
desire  ships,  colonies,  and  commerce.  Their 


A..D.1805.J  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     275 

His  march  down  the  Danube.  Anxiety  of  Jocephln*. 

acquisition  would  be  as  advantageous  to  you  at 
to  me." 

From  Ulra,  Napoleon,  with  two  hundred  thou- 
sand men,  flushed  with  victory,  rushed  like  a 
tempest  down  the  valley  of  the  Danube,  driving 
the  terrified  Austrians  before  him  like  chaff 
swept  by  the  whirlwind.  Ten  thousand  bomb- 
shells were  rained  down  upon  the  roofs  of  Vi- 
enna, till  the  dwellings  and  the  streets  were 
deluged  with  the  blood  of  innocence,  and  then 
the  gates  were  thrown  open  for  the  entrance  of 
the  conqueror.  Alexander,  the  Emperor  of  all 
the  Russias,  was  hastening  down  from  the  North, 
with  his  barbarian  hordes,  to  aid  the  beleaguered 
city.  Napoleon  tarried  not  at  Vienna.  Fear- 
lessly pushing  on  through  the  sleet  and  the  hai 
of  a  Northern  winter,  he  disappeared  in  the  dis- 
tance from  the  eyes  of  France.  Austria,  Swe- 
den, Russia,  were  assembling  their  innumerable 
legions  to  crush  him.  He  was  far  from  home, 
in  a  hostile  country.  Rumors  that  his  rashnes* 
had  led  to  his  ruin  began  to  circulate  through- 
out Europe. 

Josephine  was  almost  distracted  with  anxiety 
respecting  her  husband.  She  knew  that  a  ter- 
rible battle  was  approaching,  in  which  he  was 
to  encounter  fearful  odds.  The  most  gloomy 


276  JOSEPHINE.          [A  D.  1805. 

Arrival  of  *  courier.  Hit  utter  exhaustion 

forebodings  pervaded  Paris  and  all  France. 
Several  days  had  passed,  during  which  no  intel- 
ligence whatever  had  been  received  from  the 
distant  army.  Ominous  whispers  of  defeat  and 
rain  filled  the  air.  The  cold  blasts  of  a  Decem- 
ber night  were  whistling  around  the  towers  of 
St.  Cloud,  as  Josephine  and  a  few  of  her  friends 
were  assembled  in  the  saloon,  anxiously  await- 
ing tidings  from  Napoleon.  It  was  no  time  for 
hilarity,  and  no  one  attempted  even  to  promote 
festive  enjoyment.  The  hour  of  nine  o'clock 
nad  arrived,  and  yet  no  courier  appeared.  All 
hopes  of  any  tidings  on  that  day  were  relin- 
quished. Suddenly  the  clatter  of  iron  hoofs  was 
heard  as  a  single  horseman  galloped  into  the 
court-yard.  Josephine  almost  fainted  with  emo- 
tion as  she  heard  the  feeble  shout,  "  Victory — 
Austerlitz!"  She  rushed  to  the  window  and 
threw  it  open.  The  horse  of  the  courier  had 
fallen  dead  upon  the  pavement,  and  the  exhaust- 
ed rider,  unable  to  stand,  was  half  reclining  by 
his  side.  In  the  intensity  of  her  impatience, 
Josephine  rushed  down  the  stairs  and  into  the 
court-yard,  followed  by  all  her  ladies.  The 
faithful  messenger  was  brought  to  her  in  the 
%rms  of  four  men.  He  presented  to  the  empreia 
blurred  and  blotted  line,  which  the  pmoerot 


AD  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     277 

Battle  of  Aurtcrlitz.  Moustache  the  M>mel«ka 

had  written  amid  the  thunder  and  the  smoke, 
the  uproar  and  the  carnage  of  the  dreadful  day 
of  Austerlitz.  As  soon  as  Napoleon  saw  the 
field  covered  with  the  slain,  and  the  routed  ar- 
mies of  his  foes  flying  in  dismay  before  their 
triumphant  pursuers,  in  the  midst  of  all  the  hor- 
rors of  that  most  horrible  scene,  he  turned  the 
energies  of  his  impetuous  mind  from  the  hot 
pursuit  to  pen  a  line  to  his  faithful  Josephine, 
announcing  the  victory.  The  empress,  with 
tears  almost  blinding  her  eyes,  read  the  billet 
where  she  stood,  by  the  light  of  a  torch  which  an 
attendant  had  brought  her.  She  immediately 
drew  from  her  finger  a  valuable  diamond  ring, 
and  presented  it  to  the  bearer  of  the  joyful  mes- 
sage. The  messenger  was  Moustache  the 
Mameluke,  who  had  accompanied  Napoleon 
from  Egypt,  and  who  was  so  celebrated  for  the 
devotion  of  his  attachment  to  the  emperor.  He 
had  ridden  on  horseback  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  within  twelve  hours. 

Napoleon  was  exceedingly  sensitive  to  any 
apparent  want  of  affection  or  attention  on  the 
part  of  Josephine.  A  remarkable  occurrence, 
illustrative  of  this  sensitiveness,  took  place  on 
his  return  from  his  last  Austrian  campaign. 
When  he  arrived  at  Munich,  where  he  was  de- 


278  JOSEPHINE.  [A.D.  1805. 

SonsM  venees  of  Napoleon.  His  unreasonable  anger 

layed  for  a  short  time,  he  dispatched  a  courier 
to  Josephine,  informing  her  that  he  would  be  at 
Fontainebleau  on  the  evening  of  the  twenty-sev- 
eiith,  and  expressing  a  wish  that  the  court  should 
be  assembled  there  to  meet  him.  He,  however, 
in  his  eagerness,  pressed  on  with  such  unantici- 
pated speed,  that  he  arrived  early  in  the  morn- 
ing of  the  twenty-sixth,  thirty-six  hours  earlier 
than  the  time  he  had  appointed.  He  had  actu- 
ally overtaken  his  courier,  and  entered  with  him 
the  court-yard  at  Fontainebleau.  Very  unreas- 
onably annoyed  at  finding  no  one  there  to  receive 
him,  he  said  to  the  exhausted  courier,  as  he  was 
dismounting  from  his  horse,  "  You  can  rest  to- 
morrow ;  gallop  to  St.  Cloud,  and  announce  my 
arrival  to  the  empress."  It  was  a  distance  of 
forty  miles.  Napoleon  was  very  impatient  all 
the  day,  and,  in  the  evening,  hearing  a  carriage 
enter  the  court-yard,  he  eagerly  ran  down,  as 
was  his  invariable  custom,  to  greet  Josephine 
To  his  great  disappointment,  the  carriage  con» 
tained  only  some  of  her  ladies.  "  And  where  is 
the  empress  ?"  he  exclaimed,  in  surprise.  "  We 
havo  preceded  her  by  perhaps  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,"  they  replied.  The  emperor  was  now  in 
Tery  ill  humor.  "  A  very  happy  arrangement," 
said  he,  sarcastically ;  and,  turning  upon  hi* 


AD  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     279 

Arrival  of  Josephine.         Napoleon  s  confession.         The  reconciliation. 

heel,  he  ascended  to  the  little  library,  where  he 
had  been  busily  employed. 

Soon  Josephine  arrived.  Napoleon,  hearing 
the  carriage  enter  the  court,  coldly  asked  who 
had  come.  Being  informed  that  it  was  the  em- 
press, he  moved  not  from  his  seat,  but  went  on 
very  busily  with  his  writing.  The  attendants 
were  greatly  surprised,  for  he  never  before  had 
been  known  to  omit  meeting  the  empress  at  her 
carriage.  Josephine,  entirely  unconscious  of 
any  fault,  and  delighted  with  the  thought  of 
again  meeting  her  husband,  and  of  surprising 
him  in  his  cabinet,  hastened  up  stairs  and  en- 
tered the  room.  Napoleon  looked  up  coldly  from 
his  papers,  and  addressed  her  with  the  chilling 
salutation,  "  And  so,  madame,  you  have  come 
at  last !  It  is  well.  I  was  just  about  to  set  out 
for  St.  Cloud."  Josephine  burst  into  tears,  and 
stood  silently  sobbing  before  him.  Napoleon  was 
conquered.  His  own  conscience  reproved  him 
for  his  exceeding  injustice.  He  rose  from  his 
•eat,  exclaiming,  "  Josephine,  I  am  wrong ;  for- 
give me ;"  and,  throwing  his  arms  around  hei 
neck,  embraced  her  most  tenderly.  The  recon- 
ciliation was  immediate  and  perfect,  for  the  gen* 
tie  spirit  of  Josephine  could  retain  no  resent- 
ment. 


280  JostrHiNE.         [A.D.1805 


lUpoloon'i  taste  for  dresi.  The  young  Mllor 

Napoleon  had  a  very  decided  taste  in  refer- 
ence to  Josephine's  style  of  dress,  and  her  only 
ambition  was  to  decorate  her  person  hi  a  man- 
ner which  would  be  agreeable  to  him.  On  this 
occasion  she  retired  very  soon  to  dress  for  din- 
ner. In  about  half  an  hour  she  reappeared, 
dressed  with  great  elegance,  in  a  robe  of  white 
satin,  bordered  with  eider  down,  and  with  a 
wreath  of  blue  flowers,  entwined  with  silver 
ears  of  corn,  adorning  her  hair.  Napoleon  rose 
to  meet  her,  and  gazed  upon  her  with  an  expres- 
sion of  great  fondness.  Josephine  said,  with  a 
emile,  "  You  do  not  think  that  I  have  occupied 
too  much  time  at  my  toilet  ?"  Napoleon  point- 
ed playfully  to  the  clock  upon  the  mantel,  which 
indicated  the  hour  of  half  past  seven,  and,  taking 
the  hand  of  his  wife,  entered  the  dining-room. 

Though  Napoleon  often  displayed  the  weak- 
nesses of  our  fallen  nature,  he  at  times  exhibit- 
ed the  noblest  traits  of  humanity.  On  one  oc- 
casion, at  Boulogne,  he  was  informed  of  a  young 
English  sailor,  a  prisoner  of  war,  who  had  es 
oaped  from  his  imprisonment  in  the  interior  of 
Prance,  and  had  succeeded  in  reaching  the  coast 
near  that  town.  He  had  secretly  constructed, 
in  an  unfrequented  spot,  a  little  skiff,  of  the 
branches  and  bark  of  trees,  in  which  fabric,  al- 
most as  fragile  as  the  ark  of  bulrushes,  he  was 


A..D.  1805.]  JOSEPHINE  AN  EMPRESS.     281 

His  fearleMDOM.  Napoleon  s  magnanimity. 

intending  to  float  out  npon  the  storm-swept 
channel,  hoping  to  be  picked  up  by  some  En- 
glish cruiser  and  conveyed  home.  Napoleon 
was  struck  with  admiration  in  view  of  the  fear- 
lessness  of  the  project,  and,  sending  for  the  young 
man,  questioned  him  very  minutely  respecting 
the  motives  which  could  induce  him  to  under- 
take so  perilous  an  adventure.  The  emperor 
expressed  some  doubt  whether  he  would  really 
have  ventured  to  encounter  the  dangers  of  the 
ocean  in  so  frail  a  skiff.  The  young  man  en- 
treated Napoleon  to  ascertain  whether  he  was 
in  earnest  by  granting  him  permission  to  carry 
his  design  into  execution.  "  You  must  doubt- 
less, then,"  said  the  emperor,  "  have  some  mis- 
tress to  revisit,  since  you  are  so  desirous  to  re- 
turn to  your  country  ?"  "  No  !"  replied  the 
sailor,  "  I  wish  to  see  my  mother.  She  is  aged 
and  infirm."  The  heart  of  the  emperor  wr- 
touched.  "You  shall  see  her,"  he  energetical- 
ly and  promptly  replied.  He  immediately  gave 
orders  that  the  young  man  should  be  thorough 
ly  furnished  with  all  comforts,  and  sent  in  a 
cruiser,  with  a  flag  of  truce,  to  the  first  British 
vessel  which  could  be  found.  He  also  gave  the 
young  man  a  purse  for  his  mother,  saying,  "  She 
must  be  no  common  parent  who  can  have  trained 
up  so  affectionate  and  dutiful  a  son." 


282  JOSEPHINE.         [A.D.  1807. 

N.poleon'i  prMpectrre  heir.  Death  of  the  child 


CHAPTER    XII. 
THE  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DATS. 

A  LLUSION  has  already  been  mad?  to  the 
-£"•*-  strong  attachment  with  which  Napoleon 
cherished  his  little  grandchild,  the  son  of  Hor- 
tense  and  of  his  brother  Louis.  The  boy  was 
extremley  beautiful,  and  developed  all  those 
noble  and  spirited  'traits  of  character  which  pe- 
culiarly delighted  the  emperor.  Napoleon  had 
apparently  determined  to  make  the  young  prince 
his  heir.  This  was  so  generally  the  under- 
standing, both  in  France  and  in  Holland,  that 
Josephine  was  quite  at  ease,  and  serene  days 
dawned  again  upon  her  heart. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1807,  this  child,  upon 
whom  such  destinies  were  depending,  then  five 
years  of  age,  was  seized  suddenly  and  violently 
with  the  croup,  and  in  a  few  hours  died.  The 
blow  fell  upon  the  heart  of  Josephine  with  most 
appalling  power.  Deep  as  was  her  grief  at  the 
loss  of  the  child,  she  was  overwhelmed  with 
uncontrollable  anguish  in  view  of  those  fearful 
*r>n*equenoes  which  she  shuddered  to  contem- 


A..D.  ib07.]  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.    283 

Grandeur  of  Napoleon.  Struggle  in  hl«  bosom. 

plate.  She  knew  that  Napoleon  loved  het 
fondly,  but  she  also  knew  the  strength  of  hi» 
ambition,  and  that  he  would  make  any  sacrifice 
of  his  affection,  which,  in  his  view,  would  sub- 
serve the  interests  of  his  power  and  his  glory. 
For  three  days  she  shut  herself  up  in  her  room, 
and  was  continually  bathed  in  tears. 

The  sad  intelligence  was  conveyed  to  Napo- 
leon when  he  was  far  from  home,  in  the  midst 
of  the  Prussian  campaign.  He  had  been  vic- 
torious, almost  miraculously  victorious,  over 
his  enemies.  He  had  gained  accessions  of  pow- 
er such  as,  in  the  wildest  dreams  of  youth,  he 
had  hardly  imagined.  All  opposition  to  his 
sway  was  now  apparently  crushed.  Napoleon 
had  become  the  creator  of  kings,  and  the  proud- 
est monarchs  of  Europe  were  constrained  to  do 
his  bidding.  It  was  in  an  hour  of  exultation 
that  the  mournful  tidings  reached  him.  He 
sat  down  in  silence,  buried  his  face  in  his  hands, 
and  for  a  long  time  seemed  lost  in  the  most 
painful  musings.  He  was  heard  mournfully 
and  anxiously  to  repeat  to  himself  again  ace' 
again,  "  To  whom  shall  I  leave  all  this  ?"  The 
struggle  in  his  mind  between  his  love  for  Jose- 
plane  and  his  ambitious  desire  to  found  a  new 
dynasty,  and  to  transmit  his  name  and  fame 


284  JOSEPHINE.  A-D.  1807 


Dejection  of  Napoleon.  His  energy.  Grief  of  Josephine 

to  all  posterity,  was  fearful.  It  was  manifest 
in  his  pallid  cheek,  in  his  restless  eye,  in  the 
loss  of  appetite  and  of  sleep.  But  the  stern 
will  of  Bonaparte  was  unrelenting  in  its  pur- 
poses. With  an  energy  which  the  world  has 
never  seen  surpassed,  he  had  chosen  his  part. 
It  was  the  purpose  of  his  soul  —  the  purpose  be- 
fore which  every  thing  had  to  bend  —  to  acquire 
the  glory  of  making  France  the  most  illustri- 
ous, powerful,  and  happy  nation  earth  had  ever 
seen.  For  this  he  was  ready  to  sacrifice  com- 
fort, ease,  and  his  sense  of  right.  For  this  he 
was  ready  to  sunder  the  strongest  ties  of  affec- 
tion. 

Josephine  knew  Napoleon.  She  was  fully 
aware  of  his  boundless  ambition.  With  almost 
insupportable  anguish  she  wept  over  the  death 
of  this  idolized  child,  and,  with  a  trembling 
heart,  awaited  her  husband's  return.  Myste- 
rious hints  began  to  fill  the  journals  of  the  con- 
templated divorce,  and  of  tho  alliance  of  Napo- 
leon with  various  princesses  of  foreign  courts. 

In  October,  1807,  Napoleon  returned  from 
Vienna.  He  greeted  Josephine  with  the  great- 
est kindness,  but  she  soon  perceived  that  his 
mind  was  ill  at  ease,  and  that  he  was  ponder- 
ing the  fearful  question.  He  appeared  sad  and 


A.D.1807.1  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.    285 

Bar  forebodings.  Napoleon  absent*  himself  from  her  society 

embarrassed.  He  had  frequent  private  inter- 
views with  his  ministers.  A  general  feeling 
of  constraint  pervaded  the  court.  Napoleon 
scarcely  ventured  to  look  upon  his  wife,  as  if 
apprehensive  that  the  very  sight  of  one  whom 
he  had  loved  so  well  might  cause  him  to  waver 
ir.  his  firm  purpose.  Josephine  was  in  a  state 
of  the  most  feverish  solicitude,  and  yet  was 
compelled  to  appear  calm  and  unconstrained. 
As  yet  she  had  only  fearful  forebodings  of  her 
impending  doom.  She  watched,  with  most  ex- 
cited apprehension,  every  movement  of  the  em- 
peror's eye,  every  intonation  of  his  voice,  every 
sentiment  he  uttered.  Each  day  some  new 
and  trivial  indication  confirmed  her  fears.  Her 
husband  became  more  reserved,  absented  him- 
self from  her  society,  and  the  private  access  be- 
tween their  apartments  was  closed.  He  now 
seldom  entered  her  room,  and  whenever  he  did 
so,  he  invariably  knocked.  And  yet  not  one 
word  had  passed  between  him  and  Josephine 
upon  the  fearful  subject.  Whenever  Josephine 
heard  the  sound  of  his  approaching  footsteps, 
the  fear  that  he  was  coming  with  tho  terrible 
announcement  of  separation  immediately  caused 
such  violent  palpitations  of  the  heart  that  it 
was  with  tho  utmost  difficulty  she  could  totter 


280  JOSEPHINE          [AD.  ISO/ 

A&gouh  of  Napoleon.  Difficulty  in  selecting  a  bride 

across  the  floor,  even  when  supporting  herself 
by  leaning  against  the  walls,  and  catching  at 
the  articles  of  furniture. 

The  months  of  October  and  November  passed 
away,  and,  while  the  emperor  was  discussing 
with  his  cabinet  the  alliance  into  which  he 
should  enter,  he  had  not  yet  summoned  courage 
to  break  the  subject  to  Josephine.  The  evi- 
dence is  indubitable  that  he  experienced  intense 
anguish  in  view  of  the  separation,  but  this  did 
not  influence  his  iron  will  to  swerve  from  its 
purpose.  The  grandeur  of  his  fame  and  the 
magnitude  of  his  power  were  now  such,  that 
there  was  not  a  royal  family  in  Europe  which 
would  not  have  felt  honored  in  conferring  upon 
him  a  bride.  It  was  at  first  contemplated  that 
he  should  marry  some  princess  of  the  Bourbon 
family,  and  thus  add  to  the  stability  of  his 
throne  by  conciliating  the  Royalists  of  France 
A  princess  of  Saxony  was  proposed.  Some 
weighty  considerations  urged  an  alliance  with 
the  majestic  empire  of  Russia,  and  some  advan- 
ces were  made  to  the  court  of  St.  Petersburgh, 
having  in  view  a  sister  of  the  Emperor  Alexan- 
der. It  was  finally  decided  that  proposals  should 
be  made  to  the  court  of  Vienna  for  Maria  Lou 
Ua,  daughter  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria. 


A.D.1809.]  DIVORCE  AMD  LAST  DAYS.   287 


A  iiient  dinner  at  Fontainebleao. 


At  length  the  fatal  day  arrived  for  the  an- 
nouncement to  Josephine.  It  was  the  last  day 
of  November,  1809.  The  emperor  and  empress 
dinod  at  Fontainebleau  alone.  She  seems  to 
have  had  a  presentiment  that  her  doom  was 
sealed,  for  all  that  day  she  had  been  in  her  re- 
tired apartment,  weeping  bitterly.  As  the  din- 
ner-hour approached,  she  bathed  her  swollen 
eyes,  and  tried  to  regain  composure.  They  sat 
down  at  the  table  in  silence.  Napoleon  did  not 
speak.  Josephine  could  not  trust  her  voice  to 
utter  a  word.  Neither  ate  a  mouthful.  Course 
after  course  was  brought  in  and  removed  un- 
touched. A  mortal  paleness  revealed  the  an- 
guisn  of  each  heart.  Napoleon,  in  his  embar- 
rassment, mechanically,  and  apparently  uncon- 
sciously, struck  the  edge  of  his  glass  with  his 
knife,  while  lost  in  thought.  A  more  melan- 
choly meal  probably  was  never  witnessed.  The 
attendants  around  the  table  seemed  to  catch  the 
infection,  and  moved  softly  and  silently  in  the 
discharge  of  their  duties,  as  if  they  were  in  the 
chamber  of  the  dead.  At  last  the  ceremony  of 
dinner  was  over,  the  attendants  were  dismissed, 
and  Napoleon,  rising,  and  closing  the  door  with 
his  own  hand,  was  left  alone  with  Josephine. 
Another  moment  of  most  painful  silence  ensued. 


288  JOSEPHINE.          [AD.  1809. 

The  communication  to  Josephine.  Efl'ecU  thereof 

when  the  emperor,  pale  as  death,  and  trembling 
In  every  nerve,  approaohed  the  empress.  He 
took  her  hand,  placed  it  upon  his  heart,  and  in 
faltering  accents  said,  "Josephine!  my  own 
good  Josephine !  you  know  how  I  have  loved 
you.  It  is  to  you  alone  that  I  owe  the  only  few 
moments  of  happiness  I  have  known  in  the  world. 
Josephine  !  my  destiny  is  stronger  than  my  will. 
My  dearest  affections  must  yield  to  the  interests 
of  France." 

Josephine's  brain  reeled ;  her  blood  ceased  to 
circulate ;  she  fainted,  and  fell  lifeless  upon  the 
floor.  Napoleon,  alarmed,  threw  open  the  door 
of  the  saloon,  and  called  for  help.  Attendants 
from  the  ante-room  immediately  entered.  Na- 
poleon took  a  taper  from  the  mantel,  and  utter- 
ing not  a  word,  but  pale  and  trembling,  mo- 
tioned to  the  Count  de  Beaumont  to  take  the 
empress  in  his  arras.  She  was  still  unconscious 
of  every  thing,  but  began  to  murmur,  in  tones 
of  anguish,  "Oh,  no!  you  can  not  surely  do 
it.  You  would  not  kill  me."  The  emperor  led 
the  way,  through  a  dark  passage,  to  the  private 
staircase  which  conducted  to  the  apartment  of 
the  empress.  The  agitation  of  Napoleon  seemed 
now  to  increase.  He  uttered  some  incoherent 
nentenoes  about  a  violent  nervous  attack  ;  and, 


A.D.  1809.]  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.  289 

imitation  of  Napoleon.  A  night  of  anguUh 

finding  the  stairs  too  steep  and  narrow  for  the 
Count  de  Beaumont  to  bear  the  body  of  the  help- 
less Josephine  unassisted,  he  gave  the  light  to 
an  attendant,  and,  supporting  her  limbs  himself, 
they  reached  the  door  of  her  bed-room.  Napo- 
leon then,  dismissing  his  male  attendants,  and 
laying  Josephine  upon  her  bed,  rang  for  her 
waiting- women.  He  hung  over  her  with  an  ex- 
pression of  the  most  intense  affection  and  anxi- 
ety until  she  began  to  revive.  But  the  moment 
consciousness  seemed  returning,  he  left  the  room. 
Napoleon  did  not  even  throw  himself  upon  his 
bed  that  night.  He  paced  the  floor  until  the 
dawn  of  the  morning.  The  royal  surgeon,  Cor- 
visart,  passed  the  night  at  the  bed-side  of  the 
empress.  Every  hour  the  restless  yet  unrelent- 
ing emperor  called  at  her  door  to  inquire  con- 
cerning her  situation.  "  On  recovering  from 
my  swoon,"  says  Josephine,  "  I  perceived  that 
Corvisart  was  in  attendance,  and  my  poor 
daughter,  Hortense,  weeping  over  me.  Noi 
no  !  I  can  not  describe  the  horror  of  my  situa- 
tion during  that  night !  Even  the  interest  he 
affected  to  take  in  my  sufferings  seemed  to  me 
additional  cruelty.  Oh !  how  much  reason  had 
[  to  dread  becoming  an  empress !" 

A  ^rtoight  now  passed  away,  during  which 
19—19 


290  JOSEPHINE.  [A.D.  1809. 

AnnlrerMiy  of  the  rlctory  at  Austerlltz.    Eugene  summoned  from  Italy 

Napoleon  and  Josephine  saw  but  little  of  each 
other.  During  this  time  there  occurred  the  an- 
niversary of  the  coronation,  and  of  the  victory 
of  Austerlitz.  Paris  was  filled  with  rejoicing. 
The  bells  rang  their  merriest  peals.  The  me- 
tropolis was  refulgent  with  illuminations.  In 
these  festivities  Josephine  was  compelled  to  ap- 
pear. She  knew  that  the  sovereigns  and  prin- 
ces then  assembled  hi  Paris  were  informed  of 
her  approaching  disgrace.  In  all  these  sound? 
of  triumph  she  heard  but  the  knell  of  her  own 
doom.  And  though  a  careful  observer  would 
have  detected  indications,  in  her  moistened  eye 
and  her  pallid  cheek,  of  the  secret  woe  which 
•w&s  consuming  her  heart,  her  habitual  affabil- 
ity and  grace  never,  in  public,  for  one  moment 
forsook  her.  Hortense,  languid  and  sorrow- 
stricken,  was  with  her  mother. 

Eugene  was  summoned  from  Italy.  He 
hastened  to  Paris,  and  his  first  interview  was 
with  his  mother.  From  her  saloon  he  went  di- 
rectly to  the  cabinet  of  Napoleon,  and  inquired 
of  the  emperor  if  he  had  decided  to  obtain  a  di- 
vorce from  the  empress.  Napoleon,  who  was 
very  strongly  attached  to  Eugene,  made  no  re- 
ply, but  pressed  his  hand  as  an  expression  that 
it  was  so.  Eugene  immediately  dropped  the 
of  thp  emperor,  and  said. 


AJD.  1809.J  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  BAYS, 

brterriew  with  Napoleon.  He  U  not  without  feeling 

"  Sire,  in  that  case,  permit  me  to  withdraw 
from  your  service." 

"  How !"  exclaimed  Napoleon,  looking  upon 
him  sadly ;  "  will  you,  Eugene,  my  adopted 
•on,  leave  me  ?" 

"  Yes,  sire,"  Eugene  replied,  firmly ;  "  the 
son  of  her  who  is  no  longer  empress  can  not  re- 
main viceroy.  I  will  follow  my  mother  into  her 
retreat.  She  must  now  find  her  consolation  in 
her  children." 

Napoleon  was  not  without  feelings.  Tears 
filled  his  eyes.  In  a  mournful  voice,  tremulous 
with  emotion,  he  replied,  "  Eugene,  you  know 
the  stern  necessity  which  compels  this  measure, 
and  will  you  forsake  me  ?  Who,  then,  should 
I  have  a  son,  the  object  of  my  desires  and  pre- 
server of  my  interests,  who  would  watch  over 
the  child  when  I  am  absent?  If  I  die,  who 
will  prove  to  him  a  father  ?  Who  will  bring 
him  up  ?  Who  is  to  make  a  man  of  him  ?" 

Eugene  was  deeply  affected,  and,  taking 
Napoleon's  arm,  they  retired  and  conversed  a 
long  time  together.  The  noble  Josephine,  ever 
sacrificing  her  own  feelings  to  promote  the  hap- 
piness of  others,  urged  her  son  to  remain  the 
friend  of  Napoleon.  "  The  emperor,"  she  said, 
"is  your  benefactor — your  more  than  father, 


292  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1809 

The  eouncfl  assembled.  AddreM  of  Napoleo*. 

to  whom  you  are  indebted  for  every  thing,  and 
to  whom,  therefore,  you  owe  a  boundless  obedi- 
ence." 

The  fatal  day  for  the  consummation  of  the 
divoroe  at  length  arrived.  It  was  the  15th  of 
December,  1809.  Napoleon  had  assembled  all 
the  kings,  princes,  and  princesses  who  were 
members  of  the  imperial  family,  and  also  the 
most  illustrious  officers  of  the  empire,  in  the 
grand  saloon  of  the  Tuilleries.  Every  individ- 
ual present  was  oppressed  with  the  melancholy 
grandeur  of  the  occasion.  Napoleon  thus  ad- 
dressed them : 

"  The  political  interests  of  my  monarchy, 
the  wishes  of  my  people,  which  have  constantly 
guided  my  actions,  require  that  I  should  trans- 
mit to  an  heir,  inheriting  my  love  for  the  peo- 
ple, the  throne  on  which  Providence  has  placed 
me.  For  many  years  I  have  lost  all  hopes  of 
having  children  by  my  beloved  spouse,  the  Em- 
press Josephine.  It  is  this  consideration  which 
induces  me  to  sacrifice  the  sweetest  affections 
of  my  heart,  to  consult  only  the  good  of  my 
subjects,  and  to  desire  the  dissolution  of  our 
marriage.  Arrived  at  the  age  of  forty  years,  I 
may  indulge  a  reasonable  hope  of  living  long 
enough  to  rear,  in  the  spirit  of  mv  own  thought* 


A.D.1809.]  DIVOR  CE  AND  LAST  DAYS.   293 

He  is  still  the  friend  of  Josephine.  Her  regponsa 

and  disposition,  the  children  with  which  it  may 
please  Providence  to  bless  me.  God  knows 
what  such  a  determination  has  cost  my  heart ; 
but  there  is  no  sacrifice  which  is  above  my 
courage,  when  it  is  proved  to  be  for  the  inter- 
ests of  France.  Far  from  having  any  cause 
of  complaint,  I  have  nothing  to  say  but  in  praise 
of  the  attachment  and  tenderness  of  my  beloved 
wife.  She  has  embellished  fifteen  years  of  my 
life,  and  the  remembrance  of  them  will  be  for- 
ever engraven  on  my  heart.  She  was  crowned 
by  my  hand ;  she  shall  retain  always  the  rank 
and  title  of  empress.  Above  all,  let  her  never 
doubt  my  feelings,  or  regard  me  but  as  her  best 
and  dearest  friend." 

Josephine,  her  eyes  filled  with  tears,  with  a 
faltering  voice,  replied,  "I  respond  to  all  the 
tentiments  of  the  emperor  in  consenting  to  the 
dissolution  of  a  marriage  which  henceforth  is 
an  obstacle  to  the  happiness  of  France,  by  de- 
priving it  of  the  blessing  of  being  one  day  gov- 
erned by  the  descendants  of  that  great  man 
who  was  evidently  raised  up  by  Providence  to 
efface  the  evils  of  a  terrible  revolution,  and  to 
restore  the  altar,  and  the  throne,  and  social  or- 
der. But  his  marriage  will  in  no  respect  change 
the  sentiments  of  my  heart.  The  empercr  wilJ 


294  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1809 

The  council  again  as«e  mbled.  Conrammation  of  the  divorce. 

ever  find  in  me  his  best  friend.  I  know  what 
this  act,  commanded  by  policy  and  exalted  in- 
terests, has  cost  his  heart,  but  we  both  glory  in 
the  sacrifices  we  make  for  the  good  of  the  coun- 
try. I  feel  elevated  in  giving  the  greatest  proof 
of  attachment  and  devotion  that  was  ever  giv- 
en upon  earth." 

Such  were  the  sentiments  which  were  ex- 
pressed in  public ;  but  in  private  Josephine  sur- 
rendered herself  to  the  unrestrained  dominion 
of  her  anguish.  No  language  can  depict  the 
intensity  of  her  woe.  For  six  months  she  wept 
so  incessantly  that  her  eyes  were  nearly  blind- 
ed with  grief.  Upon  the  ensuing  day  the  ooun 
oil  were  again  assembled  in  the  grand  saloon, 
to  witness  the  legal  consummation  of  the  di- 
vorce. The  emperor  entered  the  room  dressed 
in  the  imposing  robes  of  state,  but  pallid,  care- 
worn, and  wretched.  Low  tones  of  voice,  har- 
monizing with  the  mournful  scene,  filled  the 
room.  Napoleon,  apart  by  himself,  leaned 
against  a  pillar,  folded  his  arms  upon  his  breast, 
and,  in  perfect  silence,  apparently  lost  in  gloomy 
thought,  remained  motionless  as  a  statue.  A 
circular  table  was  placed  in  the  center  of  th« 
apartment,  and  upon  this  there  was  a  writing 
apparatus  of  gold.  A  vacant  arm-chair  stood 


A..D.1809.]  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DATS.    295 

Entrance  of  Josephine.  Emotion  of  Hcrtente. 

before  the  table.  Never  did  a  multitude  gaze 
upon  the  scaffold,  the  block,  or  the  guillotine 
with  more  awe  than  the  assembled  lords  and 
ladies  in  this  gorgeous  saloon  contemplated  these 
Instruments  of  a  more  dreadful  execution. 

At  length  the  mournful  silence  was  interrupt- 
ed by  the  opening  of  a  side  door  and  the  en- 
trance of  Josephine.  The  pallor  of  death  was 
upon  her  brow,  and  the  submission  of  despair 
nerved  her  into  a  temporary  calmness.  She 
was  leaning  upon  the  arm  of  Hortense,  who; 
not  possessing  the  fortitude  of  her  mother,  was 
entirely  unable  to  control  her  feelings.  The 
sympathetic  daughter,  immediately  upon  enter- 
Vng  into  the  room,  burst  into  tears,  and  contin- 
ued sobbing  most  convulsively  during  the  whole 
remaining  scene.  The  assembly  respectfully 
arose  upon  the  entrance  of  Josephine,  and  all 
were  moved  to  tears.  With  that  grace  which 
ever  distinguished  her  movements,  she  advanced 
silently  to  the  seat  provided  for  her.  Sitting 
down,  and  leaning  her  forehead  upon  her  hand, 
•he  listened  to  the  reading  of  the  act  of  separa- 
tion. Nothing  disturbed  the  sepulchral  silence 
of  the  scene  but  the  convulsive  sobbings  of  Her- 
tense,  blending  with  the  mournful  tones  of  the 
reader's  voice  Eugene,  in  the  mean  time,  pale 


2%  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D  1809 

Josephine  signs  the  divorce.  Anguish  of  Eugene 

and  trembling  as  an  aspen  leaf,  had  taken  a  po- 
sition by  the  side  of  his  mother.  Silent  tears 
were  trickling  down  the  cheeks  of  the  empress. 

As  soon  as  the  reading  of  the  act  of  separa- 
tion was  finished,  Josephine  for  a  moment  press- 
ed her  handkerchief  to  her  weeping  eyes,  and 
then,  rising,  in  clear  and  musical,  but  tremulous 
tones,  pronounced  the  oath  of  acceptance.  She 
then  sat  down,  took  the  pen,  and  affixed  her  sig- 
nature to  the  deed  which  sundered  the  dearest 
hopes  and  the  fondest  ties  which  human  hearts 
can  feel.  Poor  Eugene  could  endure  this  an- 
guish no  longer.  His  brain  reeled,  his  heart 
ceased  to  beat,  and  he  fell  lifeless  upon  the  floor 
Josephine  and  Hortense  retired  with  the  at- 
tendants who  bore  out  the  insensible  form  of 
the  affectionate  son  and  brother.  It  was  a  fit- 
ting termination  of  this  mournful  but  sublime 
tragedy. 

But  the  anguish  of  the  day  was  not  yet  closed. 
Josephine,  half  delirious  with  grief,  had  another 
§oene  still  more  painful  to  pass  through  in  tak- 
ing a  final  adieu  of  him  who  had  been  her  hus- 
oand.  She  remained  in  her  chamber,  in  heart- 
rending, speechless  grief,  until  the  hour  arrived 
in  which  Napoleon  usually  retired  for  the  right. 
The  emperor,  restless  and  wretched,  had  \usl 


A..D.1809.]  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.  297 

La*t  private  interview  between  Josephine  and  Napoleon. 


placed  himself  in  the  bed  from  which  he  had 
ejected  his  most  faithful  and  devoted  wife,  and 
the  attendant  was  on  the  point  of  leaving  th« 
room,  when  the  private  door  of  his  chamber 
was  slowly  opened,  and  Josephine  tremblingly 
entered,  Her  eyes  were  swollen  with  grief,  her 
hair  disheveled,  and  she  appeared  in  all  the  dis- 
habille of  unutterable  anguish.  She  tottered 
into  the  middle  of  the  room,  and  approached  the 
bed ;  then,  irresolutely  stopping,  she  buried  her 
face  in  her  hands,  and  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears. 
A  feeling  of  delicacy  seemed  for  a  moment  to 
have  arrested  her  steps — a  consciousness  that 
she  had  now  no  right  to  enter  the  chamber  of 
Napoleon ;  but  in  another  moment  all  the  pent- 
up  love  of  her  heart  burst  forth,  and,  forgetting 
every  thing  in  the  fullness  of  her  anguish,  she 
threw  herself  upon  the  bed,  clasped  Napoleon's 
neck  in  her  arms,  and  exclaiming,  "My  hus 
oand !  my  husband !"  sobbed  as  though  her  heart 
were  breaking.  The  imperial  spirit  of  Napo- 
leon was  for  the  moment  entirely  vanquished, 
and  he  also  wept  almost  convulsively.  He  as- 
gured  Josephine  of  his  love— of  his  ardent  and 
undying  love.  In  every  way  he  tried  to  soothe 
and  comfort  her,  and  for  some  time  they  remain- 
ed looked  in  each  other's  embrace.  The  attend- 


298  JOSEPHINE.  [A.D. 

The  toil  adlem.  Mental  ai-guish  of  Napoleon. 

ant  was  dismissed,  and  for  an  hour  they  con- 
tinued together  in  this  last  private  interview. 
Josephine  then,  in  the  experience  of  an  inten- 
sity of  anguish  which  few  hearts  have  ever 
known,  parted  forever  from  the  husband  whom 
*he  had  so  long,  so  fondly,  and  so  faithfully  loved. 

After  the  empress  had  retired,  with  a  deso- 
lated heart,  to  her  chamber  of  unnatural  widow- 
hood, the  attendant  entered  the  apartment  of 
Napoleon  to  remove  the  lights.  He  found  the 
emperor  so  buried  beneath  the  bed-clothes  as  to 
be  invisible.  Not  a  word  was  uttered.  The 
lights  were  removed,  and  the  unhappy  monarch 
was  left  in  darkness  and  silence  to  the  dreadful 
companionship  of  his  own  thoughts.  The  next 
morning  the  death-like  pallor  of  his  cheek,  his 
sunken  eye,  and  the  haggard  expression  of  his 
countenance,  attested  that  the  emperor  had 
passed  the  night  in  sleeplessness  and  suffering. 

Great  as  was  the  wrong  which  Napoleon  thus 
inflicted  upon  the  noble  Josephine,  every  one 
must  be  sensible  of  a  certain  kind  of  grandeur 
which  pervades  the  tragedy.  When  we  con- 
template the  brutal  butcheries  of  Henry  VIII., 
u  wife  after  wife  was  compelled  to  place  her 
head  upon  the  block,  merely  to  afford  room  for 
the  indulgence  of  his  vagrant  passions  ;  when 


A.D  1810.J  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS. 

MaJmaiion  aisigned  to  Josephine  a*  her  ftiture  residence. 

we  contemplate  George  IV.,  by  neglect  and  in- 
humanity driving  Caroline  to  desperation  and 
to  crime,  and  polluting  the  ear  of  the  world  with 
the  revolting  story  of  sin  and  shame  ;  when  we 
contemplate  the  Bourbons,  generation  after  gen- 
eration, rioting  in  voluptuousness,  in  utter  dis- 
regard of  all  the  laws  of  God  and  man,  while  we 
can  not  abate  one  iota  of  our  condemnation  of 
the  great  wrong  which  Napoleon  perpetrated, 
we  feel  that  it  becomes  the  monarchies  of  Eu- 
rope to  be  sparing  in  their  condemnation. 

The  beautiful  palace  of  Malmaison,  which 
Napoleon  had  embellished  with  every  possible 
attraction,  and  where  the  emperor  and  empress 
had  passed  many  of  their  happiest  hours,  was 
assigned  to  Josephine  for  her  future  residence. 
Napoleon  settled  upon  her  a  jointure  of  about 
six  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year.  She  was 
still  to  retain  the  title  and  the  rank  of  Empress- 
Queen. 

The  ensuing  day,  at  eleven  o'clock,  all  the 
household  of  the  Tuilleries  were  assembled  upon 
die  grand  staircase  and  in  the  vestibule,  to  wit- 
ness the  departure  of  their  beloved  mistress  from 
•oenes  where  she  had  so  long  been  the  brightest 
ornament.  Josephine  descended,  veiled  from 
bead  to  foot.  Her  emotions  were  too  deep  foi 


300  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1810 

Jo«ephlne  learei  the  Tuillerles.  Madame  de  Roch«fo«cauJt 

utterance,  and  she  waved  an  adieu  to  the  affec- 
tionate and  weeping  friends  who  surrounded  her. 
A.  close  carriage,  with  six  horses,  was  before  the 
door.  She  entered  it,  sank  back  upon  the  cush- 
ions, buried  her  face  in  her  handkerchief,  and, 
sobbing  bitterly,  left  the  Tuilleries  forever. 

Josephine  was  still  surrounded  with  all  the 
external  splendors  of  royalty.  She  was  beloved 
throughout  France,  and  admired  throughout 
Europe.  Napoleon  frequently  called  upon  her, 
though,  from  motives  of  delicacy,  he  never  saw 
her  alone.  He  consulted  her  respecting  all  his 
plans,  and  most  assiduously  cherished  her  friend- 
ship. It  was  soon  manifest  that  the  surest  way 
of  securing  the  favor  of  Napoleon  was  to  pay 
marked  attention  to  Josephine.  The  palace  of 
Malmaison,  consequently,  became  the  favorite 
resort  of  all  the  members  of  the  court  of  Napo- 
leon. Soon  after  the  divorce,  Madame  de  Roche- 
foucault,  formerly  mistress  of  the  robes  to  Jose- 
phine, deserting  the  forsaken  empress,  applied 
for  the  same  post  of  honor  in  the  household  cf 
Maria  Louisa.  Napoleon,  when  he  heard  of  the 
application,  promptly  and  indignantly  replied, 
"  She  shall  neither  retain  her  old  situation  nor 
have  the  new  one.  I  am  accused  of  ungrateful 
conduct  toward  Josephine,  but  I  do  not  choose 


A.D.  1810.J  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.  301 

<OMphln«  iubmlwive  to  her  lot  Morning  putta 

to  have  any  imitators,  more  especially  among 
those  whom  she  has  honored  with  her  confidence, 
and  overwhelmed  with  benefits." 

Josephine  remained  for  some  time  at  Mai- 
naaison.  In  deeds  of  kindness  to  the  poor  who 
surrounded  her,  in  reading,  and  in  receiving, 
with  the  utmost  elegance  of  hospitality,  the 
members  of  the  court  of  Napoleon,  who  were 
ever  crowding  her  saloons,  she  gradually  re- 
gained her  equanimity  of  spirit,  and  surrendered 
herself  entirely  to  a  quiet  and  pensive  submis- 
sion. Napoleon  frequently  called  to  see  her, 
and,  taking  her  arm,  he  would  walk  for  hours, 
most  confidentially  unfolding  to  her  all  his  plans. 
He  seemed  to  desire  to  do  every  thing  in  his 
power  to  alleviate  the  intensity  of  anguish  with 
which  he  had  wrung  her  heart.  His  own  affec- 
tions olung  still  to  Josephine,  and  her  lovely  and 
noble  character  commanded,  increasingly,  his 
homage.  The  empress  was  very  methodical  in 
all  her  arrangements,  allotting  to  each  hour  its 
appointed  duty.  The  description  of  the  routine 
of  any  one  day  would  answer  about  equally 
well  for  all. 

Ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  was  fhe  reception 
hour.  These  morning  parties,  attended  by  the 
most  distinguished  members  of  Parisian  *oeie- 


302  JOBEPHINK.         [A.D.1810 

Social  habits.  Dally  routine  at  Mahwion 

ty,  none  appearing  except  in  uniform  or  in  oourt 
costume,  were  always  very  brilliant.  Soma 
ten  or  twelve  of  the  visitors  were  always  pre- 
viously invited  to  remain  to  breakfast.  At 
eleven  o'clock  they  passed  from  the  saloon  to 
the  breakfast-room,  the  empress  leading,  fol- 
lowed by  her  court  according  to  their  rank,  she 
naming  those  who  were  to  sit  on  her  right  and 
ieft.  The  repast,  both  at  breakfast  and  dinner, 
ordinarily  consisted  of  one  course  only,  every 
thing  excepting  the  dessert  being  placed  upon 
the  table  at  once.  The  empress  had  five  at- 
tendants, who  stood  behind  her  chair;  all  the 
guests  who  sat  down  with  her  had  one  each. 
Seven  officials  of  different  ranks  served  at  the 
table.  The  breakfast  usually  occupied  three 
quarters  of  an  hour,  when  the  empress,  with 
her  ladies  and  guests,  adjourned  to  the  gallery, 
which  contained  the  choicest  specimens  of  paint- 
ing and  sculpture  which  the  genius  of  Napo- 
leon could  select.  The  prospect  from  the  gal- 
lery was  very  commanding,  and,  in  entire  free- 
dom from  constraint,  all  could  find  pleasant 
employment.  Some  examined  with  delight  the 
varied  works  of  art ;  some,  in  the  embrasure* 
of  the  windows,  looked  out  upon  the  lovely 
scenery,  and  in  subdued  tones  of  voice  engaged 


AD.1810.]  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.    303 

The  tirlnf .  The  dinner  hoar.  Mirthful  ereninp 

in  -conversation ;  while  the  chamberlain  in  at- 
tendance read  aloud  from  some  useful  and  en- 
tertaining volume  to  Josephine,  and  those  who 
wished  to  listen  with  her.  At  two  o'clock  the 
arrival  of  the  carriages  at  the  door  was  the  sig- 
nal for  the  visitors  to  depart.  Three  open  car- 
riages, when  the  weather  permitted,  were  al- 
ways provided,  each  drawn  by  four  horses 
Madame  d'Arberg,  the  lady  of  honor,  one  of  tho 
ladies  in  waiting,  and  some  distinguished  guest, 
accompanied  the  empress.  Two  hours  were 
spent  in  riding,  visiting  improvements,  and  con- 
versing freely  with  the  various  employees  on 
the  estate.  The  party  then  returned  to  the 
palace,  and  all  disposed  of  their  time  as  they 
pleased  until  six  o'clock,  the  hour  of  dinner. 
From  twelve  to  fifteen  strangers  were  always 
invited  to  dine.  After  dinner  the  evening  was 
devoted  to  relaxation,  conversation,  backgam- 
mon, and  other  games.  The  young  ladies,  of 
whom  there  were  always  many  whom  Josephine 
retained  around  her,  usually,  in  the  course  of 
the  evening,  withdrew  from  the  drawing-room 
to  a  smaller  saloon  opening  from  it,  where,  with 
unrestrained  glee,  tney  engaged  in  mirthful 
sports,  or,  animated  by  the  music  of  the  piano, 
mingled  in  the  dance.  Sometimes,  in  the  buoy 


304  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1810 

Marriage  of  Napoleon  and  Maria  LouUa. 


anoy  of  youthful  joy,  they  forgot  the  demands 
'of  etiquette,  and  somewhat  incommoded,  by 
their  merry  laughter,  the  more  grave  companj 
in  the  grand  apartment.  The  lady  of  honoi 
would,  on  such  occasions,  hint  at  the  necessity 
of  repressing  the  mirth.  Josephine  would  in- 
variably interpose  in  their  behalf.  "  My  dear 
Madame  d'Arberg,"  she  would  say,  "suffei 
both  them  and  us  to  enjoy,  while  we  may,  all 
that  innocent  happiness  which  comes  from  the 
heart,  and  which  penetrates  the  heart."  At 
eleven  o'clock,  tea,  ices,  and  sweetmeats  were 
served,  and  then  the  visitors  took  their  leavo 
Josephine  sat  up  an  hour  later  conversing  most 
freely  and  confidentially  with  thoss  friends  who 
were  especially  dear  to  her,  and  about  midnight 
retired. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1810,  Maria  Louisa 
arrived  in  Paris,  and  her  marriage  with  Napo- 
leon was  celebrated  with  the  utmost  splendor 
at  St.  Cloud.  All  Fraace  resounded  with  re- 
joicing as  Napoleon  led  his  youthful  bride  into 
the  Tuilleries,  from  whence,  but  three  months 
before,  Josephine  had  be«n  so  cruelly  ejected. 
The  booming  of  the  cannon,  the  merry  poaling 
of  the  bells,  the  acclamations  of  the  populace, 
Cell  heavily  upon  the  heart  of  Josephine.  She 


A.D.  1811.  DIVORCE  AND  t  AST  DAYS.    305 

Birth  of  the  King  of  Rome.  Letter  from  Josephine. 

tried  to  conceal -her  anguish,  but  her  pallid 
cheek  and  swimming  eye  revealed  the  seveiity 
of  her  sufferings. 

Napoleon  continued,  however,  the  frequency 
of  his  correspondence,  and,  notwithstanding  the 
jealousy  of  Maria  Louisa,  did  not  at  all  inter- 
mit his  visits.  In  a  little  more  than  a  year 
after  his  marriage  the  King  of  Rome  was  born. 
The  evening  in  which  Josephine  received  the 
tidings  of  his  birth,  she  wrote  an  affectionate 
and  touching  letter  to  Napoleon,  congratulating 
him  upon  the  event.  This  letter  reveals  so 
conspicuously  the  magnanimity  of  her  princi- 
ples, and  yet  the  feminine  tenderness  of  her 
bleeding  heart,  that  we  can  not  refrain  from  hi 
sorting  it.  It  was  dated  at  Navarre,  at  mid- 
night,  the  20th  of  March,  1811. 

"  SIRE, — Amid  the  numerous  felicitations 
which  you  receive  from  every  corner  of  Europe, 
from  all  the  cities  of  France,  and  from  each  reg- 
iment of  your  army,  can  the  feeble  voice  of  a 
woman  reach  your  ear,  and  will  you  deign  to 
listen  to  her  who  so  often  consoled  your  »  rrows, 
and  sweetened  your  pains,  now  that  she  'peaks 
to  you  only  of  that  happiness  in  which  all  your 
wishes  are  fulfilled  ?  Having  ceased  to  be  your 

wife,  dare  I  felicitate  you  on  becoming  a  father  t 
19—20 


306  JOSEPHINE.           [AD.1811 

Joiephlne'i  Interact  In  the  ion  of  Napoleon. 

Yes,  sire,  without  hesitation,  for  my  soul  renders 
justice  to  yours,  in  like  manner  as  you  know 
mine.  I  can  conceive  every  emotion  you  must 
experience,  as  you  divine  all  that  I  feel  at  thia 
moment,  and,  though  separated,  we  are  united 
by  that  sympathy  which  survives  all  events. 

"  I  should  have  desired  to  have  learned  the 
birth  of  the  King  of  Rome  from  yourself,  and  not 
from  the  sound  of  the  cannon  of  Evreux,  or  from 
the  courier  of  the  prefect.  I  know,  however, 
that,  in  preference  to  all,  your  first  attentions  are 
due  to  the  public  authorities  of  the  state,  to  the 
foreign  ministers,  to  your  family,  and  especially 
to  the  fortunate  princess  who  has  realized  your 
dearest  Hopes.  She  can  not  be  more  tenderly 
devoted  co  you  than  I  am.  But  she  has  been 
enabled  to  contribute  more  toward  your  happi- 
ness by  securing  that  of  France.  She  has,  then, 
a  right  to  your  first  feelings,  to  all  your  cares, 
and  J  who  was  but  your  companion  in  times  of 
difficulty — I  can  not  ask  more  than  for  a  place 
in  your  affections  far  removed  from  that  occu- 
pied b  T  the  empress,  Maria  Louisa.  Not  til] 
you  have  ceased  to  watch  bv  her  bed — not  till 
you  are  weary  of  emoracing  your  son,  will  yon 
take  the  pen  to  converse  with  your  best  friend 
I  will  wait. 


A..D.181L]  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DATS.  307 

Her  joy  at  hl«  fclrtk  Hw  dedre  for  la  anuMam 

"  Meanwhile,  it  is  not  possible  for  me  to  de- 
lay telling  you  that,  more  than  any  one  in  the 
world,  do  I  rejoioe  in  your  joy.  And  you  will 
not  doubt  my  sincerity  when  I  here  say  that, 
far  from  feeling  an  affliction  at  a  sacrifice  nec- 
essary for  the  repose  of  all,  I  congratulate  my- 
self on  having  made  it,  since  I  now  suffer  alone. 
But  I  am  wrong ;  I  do  not  suffer  while  you  are 
happy,  and  I  have  but  one  regret,  in  not  having 
yet  done  enough  to  prove  how  dear  you  were  to 
me.  I  have  no  account  of  the  health  of  the  em- 
press. I  dare  to  depend  upon  you,  sire,  so  far 
as  to  hope  that  I  shall  have  circumstantial  de- 
tails of  the  great  event  which  secures  the  per- 
petuity of  the  name  you  have  so  nobly  illustrat- 
ed. Eugene  and  Hortense  will  write  me,  im- 
parting their  own  satisfaction ;  but  it  is  from 
you  that  I  desire  to  know  if  your  child  be  well, 
if  he  resembles  you,  if  I  shall  one  day  be  per- 
mitted to  see  him.  In  short,  I  expect  from  yon 
mnlimited  confidence,  and  upon  such  I  have 
lome  claims,  in  consideration,  sire,  of  the  bound* 
less  attachment  I  shall  cherish  for  you  while  life 
remains." 

She  had  but  just  dispatched  this  letter  to  Na- 
poleon, when  the  folding-doors  were  thrown  open 
with  much  state,  and  the  announcement,  "  From 


508  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  181L 

i  letter  from  H  ipoloo*.  D«ep  emotion  of  Josephine 

the  emperor,"  ushered  in  a  page,  the  bearer  of  a 
letter.  The  fragile  and  beautiful  youth,  whom 
Josephine  immediately  recognized,  had  so  care- 
fully secured  the  emperor's  billet,  from  fear  of 
losing  it,  that  it  took  some  time  for  him,  in  his 
slight  embarrassment,  to  extricate  it.  Josephine 
was  almost  nervously  excited  till  she  received 
the  note,  and  immediately  retired  with  it  to  her 
own  private  apartment.  Half  an  hour  elapsed 
before  she  again  made  her  appearance.  Her 
whole  countenance  attested  the  intensity  of  the 
conflicting  emotions  with  which  her  soul  had 
been  agitated.  Her  eyes  were  swollen  with 
weeping,  and  the  billet,  which  she  stil1  held  in 
her  hand,  was  blurred  with  her  tears.  She  gave 
the  page  a  letter  to  the  emperor  in  reply,  and 
then  presented  him,  as  an  acknowledgment  of 
her  appreciation  of  the  tidings  he  had  brought, 
with  a  small  morocco  case,  containing  a  dia- 
mond breastpin,  and  a  thousand  dollars  in  gold. 
She  then,  with  a  tremulous  voice,  and  smil- 
ing through  her  tears,  read  the  emperor's  note 
to  her  friends.  The  concluding  words  of  the 
note  were,  "  This  infant,  in  concert  with  our 
Eugene,  will  constitute  my  happiness  and  that 
of  France."  As  Josephine  read  these  word* 
with  emphasis,  she  exclaimed,  "  Is  it  possible 


A..D.1811]  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAIS.    309 

Amiability  of  Napoleo.  Ha  piww&ti  til*  KID  to  Jo»phln«v 

to  be  more  amiable !  Could  any  thing  be  bet» 
ter  calculated  to  soothe  whatever  might  be 
painful  in  my  thoughts  at  this  moment,  did  1 
not  so  sincerely  love  the  emperor  ?  This  unit- 
ing of  my  son  with  his  own  is  indeed  worthy 
of  him  who,  when  he  wills,  is  the  most  delight- 
ful of  men.  This  is  it  which  has  so  much 
moved  me." 

The  emperor  often  afterward  called  upon  her. 
He  soon,  notwithstanding  the  jealousy  of  Ma- 
ria Louisa,  arranged  a  plan  by  which  he  pre- 
sented to  Josephine,  in  his  own  arms,  the  idol- 
ized child.  These  interviews,  so  gratifying  to 
Josephine,  took  place  at  the  Royal  Pavilion, 
near  Paris,  Napoleon  and  Madame  Montesquieu, 
governess  to  the  young  prince,  being  the  only 
confidants.  In  one  of  Josephine's  letters  to  Na- 
poleon, she  says,  "  The  moment  I  saw  you  en- 
ter, leading  the  young  Napoleon  in  your  hand) 
was  unquestionably  one  of  the  happiest  of  my 
life.  It  effaced,  for  a  time,  the  recollection  of 
ill  that  had  preceded  it,  for  never  have  I  re» 
oeired  from  you  a  more  touching  mark  of  af- 
fection." 

The  apartment  at  Malmaison  which  Napo- 
leon had  formerly  occupied  remained  exactly 
o  it  was  when  he  last  left  it  Josephine  her* 


810  JOSEIHINE.         JA.D.181L 

Oener  jug  conduct  of  Josephine.  Letter  to  her  itipartntrndeol 

self  kept  the  key,  and  dusted  the  room  with  her 
own  hands.  She  would  not  permit  a  single 
article  of  furniture  to  be  moved.  The  book  he 
was  last  reading  lay  open  upon  the  table,  the 
map  he  was  consulting,  the  pen  with  which  he 
wrote,  the  articles  of  clothing  which  he  had  left 
in  his  accustomed  disorder,  all  remained  un- 
touched. Josephine's  bed-chamber  was  very 
simply  furnished  with  white  muslin  drapery, 
the  only  ornament  being  the  golden  toilet  serv- 
ice which  she  had  received  from  the  municipal- 
ity of  Paris,  and  which,  with  characteristic 
generosity,  she  refused  to  consider  as  her  own 
private  property  until  Napoleon  sent  it  to  her. 
The  following  letter  from  Josephine,  written  at 
this  time,  pleasingly  illustrates  her  literary  pol- 
ish and  the  refinement  of  her  taste.  It  waa 
addressed  to  the  superintendent,  ordering  some 
alterations  at  Malmaison. 

"  Profit  by  my  absence,  dear  F.,  and  make 
haste  to  dismantel  the  pavilion  of  the  acacias, 
and  to  transfer  my  boudoir  into  that  of  the  or- 
angery. I  should  wish  the  first  apartment  of 
the  suite,  and  which  serves  for  an  ante-room,  to 
be  painted  with  light  green,  with  a  border  of 
lilaohs.  In  the  center  of  the  panels  you  will 
place  my  fine  engravings  from  Esther,  and  no- 


A..D.  1811.]  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.    311 


Refined  tut*  of  Josephine. 


der  each  of  these  a  portrait  of  the  distinguished 
generals  of  the  Revolution.  In  the  center  of 
the  apartment  there  must  be  a  large  flower- 
etand,  constantly  filled  with  fresh  flowers  in 
their  season,  and  in  each  angle  a  bust  of  a  French 
philosopher.  I  particularly  mention  that  of 
Rousseau,  which  place  between  the  two  win- 
dows, so  that  the  vines  and  foliage  may  play 
around  his  head.  This  will  be  a  natural  crown 
worthy  of  the  author  of  Emile.  As  to  my  pri- 
vate cabinet,  let  it  be  colored  light  blue,  with  a 
border  of  ranunculus  and  polyanthus.  Ten 
large  engravings  from  the  Gallery  of  the  Mu- 
s6e,  and  twenty  medallions,  will  fill  up  the  pan- 
els. Let  the  casements  be  painted  white  and 
green,  with  double  fillets,  gilded.  My  piano,  a 
green  sofa,  and  two  couches  with  correspond- 
ing covers,  a  secretaire,  a  small  bureau,  and  a 
large  toilet-g'ass,  are  articles  you  will  not  forget 
In  the  center,  place  a  large  table,  always  cov- 
ered with  freshly-gathered  flowers,  and  upon  the 
mantel-shelf  a  simple  pendule,  two  alabaster 
rases,  and  double-branched  girandoles.  Unite 
elegance  to  variety,  but  no  profusion.  Nothing 
is  more  opposed  to  good  taste.  In  short,  I  con- 
fide to  you  the  care  of  rendering  this  cherished 
spot  an  agreeable  retreat,  where  I  may  modi- 


312  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  18ia 

GoatiBMd  (itef  of  JoMphiae.  Palace  of  Naram 

tate,  sleep  it  may  be,  but  oftenest  read,  wki«h 
last  is  sufficient  to  remind  you  of  three  hund- 
red volumes  of  my  small  edition." 

When  Josephine  first  retired  to  Malmaison, 
where  every  thing  reminded  her  of  the  emper- 
or, her  grief  for  many  months  continued  una- 
bated. To  divert  her  attention,  Napoleon  con- 
ferred upon  her  the  palace  of  Navarre.  This 
was  formerly  a  royal  residence,  and  was  re- 
nowned for  its  magnificent  park.  During  the 
Revolution  it  had  become  much  dilapidated. 
The  elegant  chateau  was  situated  in  the  midst 
of  the  romantic  forest  of  Evreux.  The  spacious 
grounds  were  embellished  by  parks,  whose  ven- 
erable trees  had  withstood  the  storms  of  centu- 
ries, and  by  beautiful  streams  and  crystal  lakes 
The  emperor  gave  Josephine  nearly  three  hund- 
red thousand  dollars  to  repair  the  buildings  and 
the  grounds.  The  taste  of  Josephine  soon  con- 
verted the  scene  into  almost  a  terrestrial  Eden, 
and  Navarre,  being  far  more  retired  than  Mal- 
maison, became  her  favorite  residence. 

Soon  after  Josephine  had  taken  up  her  resi- 
dence at  Navarre,  she  wrote  the  following  lottei 
to  Napoleon,  which  pleasingly  illustrates  tho 
cordiality  of  friendship  which  still  existed  be« 
tween  them  • 


A..D.1813.]  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.    313 

Letter  to  Napoleon.  Josephine  desire*  repowj 

"  SIRE, — I  received  this  morning  the  welcome 
note  which  was  written  on  the  eve  of  your  de- 
parture for  St.  Cloud,  and  hasten  to  reply  to  its 
tender  and  affectionate  contents.  These,  in- 
deed,  do  not  in  themselves  surprise  me,  but  only 
as  being  received  so  early  as  fifteen  days  after 
my  establishment  here,  so  perfectly  assured  was 
I  that  your  attachment  would  search  out  the 
means  of  consoling  me  under  a  separation  ne- 
cessary to  the  tranquillity  of  both.  The  thought 
that  your  care  follows  me  into  my  retreat  ren 
ders  it  almost  agreeable. 

"  After  having  known  all  the  rapture  of  a 
love  that  is  shared,  and  all  the  suffering  of  a 
love  that  is  shared  no  longer — after  having  ex 
hausted  all  the  pleasures  that  supreme  power 
can  confer,  and  all  the  happiness  of  beholding 
the  man  whom  I  loved  enthusiastically  admired, 
is  there  aught  else,  save  repose,  to  be  desired  ? 
What  illusions  can  now  remain  for  me?  Ali 
such  vanished  when  it  became  necessary  to  re- 
nounce you.  Thus  the  only  ties  which  yet 
bind  me  to  life  are  my  sentiments  for  you,  at- 
tachment for  my  children,  the  possibility  of 
stiL  being  able  to  do  some  good,  and,  above  all, 
the  assurance  that  you  are  happy.  Do  not, 
then,  condole  with  me  on  my  being  here,  dia- 


314  JOSE/HINE.          [AD.  1813 

Oocup»tioiii  of  Josephine  at  Navarre.  M.  Bonrller 

tant  from  a  court,  which  you  appear  to  think  I 
regret.  Surrounded  by  those  who  are  attached 
to  me,  free  to  follow  my  taste  for  the  arts,  I 
find  myself  better  at  Navarre  than  any  where 
else,  for  I  enjoy  more  completely  the  society  of 
the  former,  and  form  a  thousand  projects  which 
may  prove  useful  to  the  latter,  and  which  will 
embellish  the  scenes  I  owe  to  your  bounty 
There  is  much  to  be  done  here,  for  all  around 
are  discovered  the  traces  of  destruction.  These 
I  would  efface,  that  there  may  exist  no  memo- 
rial of  those  horrible  inflictions  which  your  ge- 
nius has  taught  the  nation  almost  to  forget. 
In  repairing  whatever  these  ruffians  of  revolu- 
tion labored  to  annihilate,  I  shall  diffuse  com- 
fort around  me,  and  the  benedictions  of  the 
poor  will  afford  me  infinitely  more  pleasure 
than  the  feigned  adulation  of  courtiers. 

"  I  have  already  told  you  what  I  think  of  the 
functionaries  in  this  department,  but  have  not 
spoken  sufficiently  of  the  respectable  bishop, 
M.  Bourlier.  Every  day  I  learn  some  new 
trait  which  causes  me  still  more  highly  to  es- 
teem the  man  who  unites  the  most  enlightened 
benevolence  with  the  most  amiable  disposition 
He  shall  be  intrusted  with  distributing  my  alms- 
deeds  in  Evreux,  and,  as  he  visits  the  indigent 


A.D.  1813.]  DivokcE  AKD  LAST  DAYS.    315 

Character  of  Josephine*!  household, 

himself,  I  shall  be  assured  that  my  oharitiea 
are  properly  bestowed. 

"  I  can  not  sufficiently  thank  you,  sire,  for 
the  liberty  you  have  permitted  me  of  choosing 
the  members  of  my  household,  all  of  whom  con- 
tribute to  the  pleasure  of  a  delightful  society. 
One  circumstance  alone  gives  me  pain,  name- 
ly, the  etiquette  of  costume,  which  becomes  a 
little  tiresome  in  the  country.  You  fear  that 
there  may  be  something  wanting  to  the  rank  I 
have  preserved  should  a  slight  infraction  be  al- 
lowed to  the  toilet  of  these  gentlemen;  but 
I  believe  that  you  are  wrong  in  thinking  they 
would  for  one  moment  forget  the  respect  due 
to  the  woman  who  was  once  your  companion 
Their  respect  for  yourself,  joined  to  the  sincere 
attachment  they  bear  to  me,  which  I  can  not 
doubt,  secures  me  from  the  danger  of  ever  be- 
ing obliged  to  recall  what  it  is  your  wish  that 
they  should  remember.  My  most  honorable 
title  is  derived,  not  from  having  been  crowned, 
but  assuredly  from  having  been  chosen  by  you. 
None  other  is  of  value.  That  alone  suffices  for 
my  immortality. 

"  My  circle  is  at  this  time  somewhat  mor« 
numerous  than  usual,  there  being  several  visit* 
ira,  betides  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Evreui 


316  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1813 

Conversation  between  Napoleon  and  Josephine. 

and  the  environs,  whom  I  see  of  course.  I  am 
pleased  with  their  manners,  with  their  admira- 
tion of  you,  a  particular  in  which  you  know 
that  I  am  not  easily  satisfied.  In  short,  I  find 
tnyself  perfectly  at  home  in  the  midst  of  my 
forest,  and  entreat  you,  sire,  no  longer  to  fancy 
to  yourself  that  there  is  no  living  at  a  distance 
from  court.  Besides  you,  there  is  nothing  there 
which  I  regret,  since  I  shall  have  my  children 
with  me  soon,  and  already  enjoy  the  society  of 
the  small  number  of  friends  who  remained  faith- 
ful  to  me.  Do  not  forget  your  friend.  Tell 
her  sometimes  that  you  preserve  for  her  an  at- 
tachment which  constitutes  the  felicity  of  her 
life.  Often  repeat  to  her  that  you  are  happy, 
and  be  assured  that  for  her  the  future  will  thus 
be  peaceful,  as  the  past  has  been  stormy,  and 
often  sad." 

Just  before  Napoleon  set  out  on  his  fatal  cam- 
paign to  Russia,  he  called  to  see  Josephine. 
Seated  upon  a  circular  bench  in  the  garden,  be^ 
fore  the  windows  of  the  saloon,  where  they  could 
both  be  seen  but  not  overheard,  they  continued 
for  two  hours  engaged  most  earnestly  in  conver- 
sation. Josephine  was  apparently  endeavoring 
to  dissuade  him  from  the  perilous  enterprise. 
His  perfect  confidence,  however  seemed  to  a»- 


A.D.  1813.)  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.  317 

Their  lait  Interrtew.  Napoleon  continues  hi*  correspondence 

sure  her  that  her  apprehensions  were  groundless 
At  last  he  arose  and  kissed  her  hand.  She  ac- 
companied him  to  his  carriage,  and  bade  him 
adieu.  This  was  their  last  interview  but  one. 
Soon  Napoleon  returned,  a  fugitive  from  Mos- 
cow. Days  of  disaster  were  darkening  around 
his  path.  All  Europe  had  risen  in  arms  against 
him,  and  were  on  the  march  toward  his  capital. 
In  the  midst  of  the  terror  of  those  dreadful  days, 
he  sought  a  hurried  interview  with  his  most 
faithful  friend.  It  was  their  last  meeting.  As 
he  was  taking  his  leave  of  Josephine,  at  the  close 
of  this  short  and  melancholy  visit,  he  gazed  upon 
her  a  moment  in  silence,  tenderly  and  sadly,  and 
then  said,  "  Josephine !  I  have  been  as  fortunate 
as  was  ever  man  on  the  face  of  this  earth.  But, 
in  this  hour,  when  a  storm  is  gathering  over  my 
head,  I  have  not,  in  this  wide  world,  any  one  but 
you  upon  whom  I  can  repose." 

In  the  fearful  conflict  which  ensued — the  most 
terrible  which  history  has  recorded — Napoleon'i 
thoughts  ever  reverted  to  the  wife  of  his  youth 
He  kept  up  an  almost  daily  correspondence  with 
her,  informing  her  of  the  passing  of  events.  Hit 
Betters,  written  in  the  midst  of  all  the  confusion 
of  ttoe  camp,  were  more  affectionate  and  confid- 
ing than  ever.  Adversity  had  softened  his  heart 


318  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1813. 

Dayi  of  diMiteK  Approach  of  the  allied  arml<* 

In  these  dark  days,  when,  with  most  Herculean 
power,  he  was  struggling  against  fearful  odds, 
and  his  throne  was  crumbling  beneath  his  feet, 
it  was  observed  that  a  letter  from  Josephine  was 
rather  torn  than  broken  open,  so  great  was  the 
eagerness  of  Napoleon  to  receive  a  line  from  her. 
Wherever  he  was,  however  great  the  emergen- 
cy in  which  he  was  placed,  the  moment  a  cour- 
ier brought  to  him  a  letter  from  Josephine,  all 
other  business  was  laid  aside  until  it  had  been 
read. 

The  allied  armies  were  every  day  approach- 
ing nearer  and  nearer  to  Paris,  and  Josephine 
was  overwhelmed  with  grief  in  contemplating 
the  disasters  which  were  falling  upon  Napoleon. 
At  Malmaison,  Josephine  and  the  ladies  of  her 
court  were  employed  in  forming  bandages  and 
scraping  lint  for  the  innumerable  wounded  who 
filled  the  hospitals.  The  conflicting  armies  ap- 
proached so  near  to  Malmaison  that  it  became 
dangerous  for  Josephine  to  remain  there,  and,  in 
great  apprehension,  she  one  morning,  at  eight 
o'clock,  took  her  carriage  for  Navarre.  Two  or 
three  times  m  the  road  she  was  alarmed  by  the 
ory,  "Cossacks!  Cossacks!"  When  she  had 
proceeded  about  thirty  miles,  the  pole  of  her 
carriage  broke,  and  at  the  same  time  a  troop  of 


A..D.1814.]  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.  319 

Harm  of  Josephine.  Accident  Jowphlne  at  JC«Tmrre 

horsemen  appeared  in  the  distance,  riding  down 
upon  her.  They  were  French  hussars ;  but  Jo- 
sephine thought  that  they  were  either  Cossacks 
er  Prussians,  and,  though  the  rain  was  falling 
in  torrents,  in  her  terror  she  leaped  from  the 
carriage,  and  began  to  fly  across  the  fields.  She 
had  proceeded  some  distance  before  her  attend- 
ants discovered  the  mistake.  The  carriage  be- 
ing repaired,  she  proceeded  the  rest  of  her  way 
unmolested.  The  empress  hardly  uttered  a 
word  during  this  melancholy  journey,  but  upon 
entering  the  palace  she  threw  herself  upon  a 
couch,  exclaiming,  "Surely,  surely  Bonaparte 
is  ignorant  of  what  is  passing  within  sight  of 
the  gates  of  Paris,  or,  if  he  knows,  how  cruel 
the  thoughts  which  must  now  agitate  his  breast ! 
Oh !  if  he  had  listened  to  me." 

Josephine  remained  for  some  days  at  Navarre, 
in  a  state  of  most  painful  anguish  respecting  the 
fate  of  the  emperor.  She  allowed  herself  no  re- 
laxation, excepting  a  solitary  ride  each  morning 
in  the  park,  and  another  short  ride  after  dinner 
with  one  of  her  ladies.  The  Emperor  Alexan- 
der had  immediately  sent  a  guard  of  honor  tc 
protect  Josephine  from  all  intrusion.  Hundreds 
of  thousands  of  soldiers  were  swarming  in  all  di. 
rections,  and  every  dwelling  was  filled  with  ter- 


320  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1814 

A  melancholy  Incident  Brutality  of  the  Cogsackj. 

ror  and  distraction.  One  melancholy  incident 
we  will  record,  illustrative  of  hundreds  which 
might  be  narrated.  Lord  Londonderry,  in  the 
midst  of  a  bloody  skirmish,  saw  a  young  and 
beautiful  French  lady,  the  wife  of  a  colonel,  in 
a  caleche,  seized  by  three  brutal  Russian  sol- 
diers, who  were  carrying  off,  into  the  fields,  their 
frantic  and  shrieking  victim.  The  gallant  En- 
glishman, sword  in  hand,  rushed  forward  for  her 
deliverance  from  his  barbarian  allies.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  rescuing  her,  and,  in  the  confusion  of 
the  battle  still  raging,  ordered  a  dragoon  to  take 
her  to  his  own  quarters  till  she  could  be  provided 
with  suitable  protection.  The  dragoon  took  the 
lady,  half  dead  with  terror,  upon  his  horse  be- 
hind him,  and  was  galloping  with  her  to  a  place 
of  safety,  when  another  ruffian  band  of  Cossacks 
surrounded  him,  pierced  his  body  with  their  sa- 
bers, and  seized  again  the  unhappy  victim.  She 
was  never  heard  of  more.  The  Emperor  Alex- 
ander was  greatly  distressed  at  her  fate,  and 
made  the  utmost,  though  unavailing  efforts  to 
discover  what  had  become  of  her.  The  revela- 
tions of  the  last  day  alone  can  divulge  the  hor- 
rors of  this  awful  tragedy. 

The  grief  of  Josephine  in  these  days  of  anxi- 
ety was  intense  in  the  extreme.     She  passed 


A.D.  1814.]   DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.  321 

Affecting  note  from  Napoleon.  HU  downfall 

her  whole  time  in  talking  about  Napoleon,  or  in 
reading  the  letters  she  had  lately  received  from 
him.  He  wrote  frequently,  as  he  escaped  from 
place  to  place,  but  many  of  his  letters  were  in- 
tercepted by  the  bands  of  soldiers  traversing  ev- 
ery road  The  last  she  had  received  from  him 
was  dated  at  Brienne.  It  gave  an  account  of  a 
desperate  engagement,  in  which  the  little  band 
of  Napoleon  had  been  overwhelmed  by  numbers, 
and  was  concluded  with  the  following  affecting 
words:  "On  beholding  those  scenes  where  I 
had  passed  my  boyhood,  and  comparing  my 
peaceful  condition  then  with  the  agitation  and 
terrors  which  I  now  experience,  I  several  times 
said,  in  my  own  mind,  I  have  sought  to  meet 
death  in  many  conflicts ;  I  can  no  longer  fear  it. 
To  me  death  would  now  be  a  blessing.  But  I 
would  once  more  see  Josephine  " 

Notwithstanding  the  desperate  state  of  affairs, 
Josephine  still  cherished  the  hope  that  his  com- 
manding genius  would  yet  enable  him  to  re 
trieve  his  fortunes.  All  these  hopes  were,  how 
ever,  dispelled  on  the  receipt  of  the  following 
letter : 

•  Fontalnebleau,  April  16,  1114. 

"DEAR  JOSEPHINE, — I  wrote  to  you  on  the 
eighth  of  this  month,  but  perhaos  you  have  not 
19—21 


JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  18U 


Letter  from  Napoleon  to  Joiephine.  Falte  friend* 

received  my  letter.  Hostilities  still  continued, 
and  possibly  it  may  have  been  intercepted.  Av 
present  the  communications  must  be  re-estab- 
lished. I  have  formed  my  resolution.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  this  billet  will  reach  you.  I  will 
not  repeat  what  I  said  to  you.  Then  I  lament- 
ed my  situation,  now  I  congratulate  myself  upon 
it.  My  head  and  spirit  are  freed  from  an  enor- 
mous weight.  My  fall  is  great,  but  it  may,  as 
men  say,  prove  useful.  In  my  retreat  I  shall 
substitute  the  pen  for  the  sword.  The  history 
of  my  reign  will  be  curious.  The  world  has  yet 
-een  me  only  in  profile.  I  shall  show  myself  in 
full.  How  many  things  have  I  to  disclose  !  how 
many  are  the  men  of  whom  a  false  estimate  is 
entertained  !  I  have  heaped  benefits  upon  mill- 
ions of  wretches  !  What  have  they  done  in  the 
end  for  me  ?  They  have  all  betrayed  me  —  yes, 
all.  I  except  from  this  number  the  good  Eu- 
gene, so  worthy  of  you  and  of  me.  Adieu  !  my 
dear  Josephine.  Be  resigned  as  I  am,  and  nev- 
er forget  him  who  never  forgot,  and  never  wil] 
'irget  you.  Farewell,  Josephine. 

"NAPOLEON. 

"P.S.  —  I  expect  to  hear  from  you  at  Elb* 
I  am  not  very  well" 


A.D  1814.]  DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.  323 

iMephlne  resolves  not  to  abandon  Napoleon.      Honor  paid  to  Josephine. 

Upon  reading  these  tidings  of  so  terrible  an 
overthrow,  Josephine  was  overwhelmed  with 
grief,  and  for  a  time  wept  bitterly.  Soon,  how- 
ever, recovering  her  self-possession,  she  ex- 
claimed,  "  I  must  not  remain  here.  My  pres- 
ence is  necessary  to  the  emperor.  That  duty  is, 
indeed,  more  Maria  Louisa's  than  mine,  but  the 
emperor  is  alone — forsaken.  Well,  I  at  least 
will  not  abandon  him.  I  might  be  dispensed 
with  while  he  was  happy ;  now,  I  am  sure  that 
he  expects  me."  After  a  pause  of  a  few  mo- 
ments, in  which  she  seemed  absorbed  in  her  own 
thoughts,  she  addressed  her  chamberlain,  say- 
ing, "I  may,  however,  interfere  with  his  ar- 
rangements. You  will  remain  here  with  me 
till  intelligence  be  received  from  the  allied  sov- 
ereigns;  they  will  respect  her  who  was  the  wife 
of  Napoleon." 

She  was,  indeed,  remembered  by  them.  The 
magnanimity  of  her  conduct  under  the  deep 
wrongs  of  the  divorce  had  filled  Europe  with 
admiration.  The  allied  sovereigns  sent  her  as- 
surances of  their  most  friendly  regards.  They 
entreated  her  to  return  to  Malrnaison,  and  pro- 
vided her  with  an  ample  guard  for  her  protec- 
tion. Her  court  was  ever  crowded  with  the 
most  illustrious  monarchs  and  nobles,  who 


JOSEPHINE.  (A.D.  L814, 


CommendatioB  of  Alexander.  Letter  to  Napoleon 


sought  a  presentation  to  do  homage  to  her  vh- 
tues.  The  Emperor  Alexander  was  one  of  the 
first  to  visit  her.  He  said  to  her  on  that  occa- 
sion, "  Madam,  I  burned  with  the  desire  of 
beholding  you.  Since  I  entered  France,  I  have 
never  heard  your  name  pronounced  but  with 
benedictions.  In  the  cottage  and  in  the  palace 
I  have  collected  accounts  of  your  angelic  good- 
ness, and  I  do  myself  a  pleasure  in  thus  pre- 
senting to  your  majesty  the  universal  homage 
of  which  I  am  the  bearer." 

Maria  Louisa,  thinking  only  of  self,  declined 
accompanying  Napoleon  to  his  humble  retreat. 
Josephine,  not  knowing  her  decision,  wrote  to 
the  emperor :  "  Now  only  can  I  calculate  the 
whole  extent  of  the  misfortune  of  having  beheld 
my  union  with  you  dissolved  by  law.  Now  do 
I  indeed  lament  being  no  more  than  your  friend, 
who  can  but  mourn  over  a  misfortune  great  as 
it  is  unexpected.  Ah  !  sire,  why  can  I  not  fly 
to  you?  Why  can  I  not  give  you  the  assur- 
ance that  exile  has  no  terrors  save  for  vulgar 
minds,  and  that,  far  from  diminishing  a  sincere 
attachment,  misfortune  imparts  to  it  a  new 
force  ?  I  have  been  upon  the  point  of  quitting 
France  to  follow  your  footsteps,  and  to  conse- 
arate  to  von  the  remainder  of  an  existence 


A.D  1814.]  DIVORCE  AND  L>  sx  DAYS.    323 

niustrioui  party  at  Malmalaoo.  Illness  of  Jo«ephlne> 

which  you  so  long  embellished.  A  single  mo- 
tive restrained  me,  and  that  you  may  divine. 
If  I  learn  that  I  am  the  only  one  who  will  ful- 
fill her  duty,  nothing  shall  detain  me,  and  1 
will  go  to  the  only  place  where,  henceforth, 
there  can  be  happiness  for  me,  since  I  shall  be 
able  to  console  you  when  you  are  there  isolated 
and  unfortunate !  Say  but  the  word,  and  I  de- 
part Adieu,  sire ;  whatever  I  would  add 
would  still  be  too  little.  It  is  no  longer  by 
wmds  that  my  sentiments  for  you  are  to  be 
proved,  and  for  actiov*  your  consent  is  neces- 
sary." 

A  few  days  after  this  letter  was  written,  the 
Emperor  Alexander,  with  a  number  of  illustri- 
ous guests,  dined  with  Josephine  at  Malmai- 
son.  In  the  evening  twilight,  the  party  went 
out  upon  the  beautiful  lawn  in  front  of  the 
house  for  recreation.  Josephine,  whose  health 
had  become  exceedingly  precarious  through  care 
and  sorrow,  being  regardless  of  herself  in  devo- 
tion to  her  friends,  took  a  violent  cold.  The 
aext  day  she  was  worse.  Without  any  very 
definite  form  of  disease,  she  day  after  day  grew 
more  faint  and  feeble,  until  it  was  evident  that 
her  final  change  was  near  at  hand.  Eugena 
•nd  Hortense,  her  most  affectionate  children, 


326  JOSEPHINE.          [A.D.  1814 

Jotephine  always  deiired  the  happlnesi  of  France.         Affecting  prayer 

were  with  her  by  day  and  by  night.  They 
communicated  to  her  the  judgment  of  her  phy- 
sician that  death  was  near.  She  heard  the 
tidings  with  perfect  composure,  and  called  for 
a  clergyman  to  administer  to  her  the  last  rites 
of  religion. 

Just  after  this  solemnity  the  Emperor  Alex- 
ander entered  the  room.  Eugene  and  Hortense, 
bathed  in  tears,  were  kneeling  at  their  mother's 
side.  Josephine  beckoned  to  the  emperor  to 
approach  her,  and  said  to  him  and  her  children, 
"  I  have  always  desired  the  happiness  of  France. 
I  did  all  in  my  power  to  contribute  t»  it ;  and 
J  can  say  with  truth,  to  all  of  you  now  present, 
at  my  last  moments,  that  the  first  wife  of  Na- 
poleon never  caused  a  single  tear  to  flow." 

She  called  for  the  portrait  of  the  emperor ; 
she  gazed  upon  it  long  and  tenderly ;  and  then, 
fervently  pressing  it  in  her  clasped  hands  to  her 
bosom,  faintly  articulated  the  following  prayer : 

"  O  God !  watch  over  Napoleon  while  he  re- 
mains in  the  desert  of  this  world.  Alas  !  though 
he  hath  committed  great  faults,  hath  he  not 
expiated  them  by  great  sufferings  ?  Just  God, 
thou  hast  looked  into  his  heart,  and  hast  seen 
by  how  ardent  a  desire  for  useful  and  durable 
improvements  he  was  animate*3 .  l»cign  w.  »p- 


A.D.lbl4.   DIVORCE  AND  LAST  DAYS.    327 

Death  of  Jo»ephina  Tribute  to  her  memory  by  *lai«ink>. 

prove  my  last  petition.  And  may  this  image 
of  my  husband  bear  me  witness  that  my  latest 
wish  and  my  latest  prayer  were  for  him  and 
my  children." 

It  was  the  29th  of  May,  1814.  A  tranquil 
summer's  day  was  fading  away  into  a  cloud- 
less, serene,  and  beautiful  evening.  The  rays 
of  the  setting  sun,  struggling  through  the  foli- 
age of  the  open  window,  shone  cheerfully  upon 
the  bed  where  the  empress  was  dying.  The 
vesper  songs  of  the  birds  which  filled  the  groves 
of  Malmaison  floated  sweetly  upon  the  ear,  and 
the  gentle  spirit  of  Josephine,  lulled  to  repose 
by  these  sweet  anthems,  sank  into  its  last  sleep. 
Gazing  upon  the  portrait  of  the  emperor,  she 
exclaimed,  "  L'isle  d'Elbe — Napoleon!"  and 
died. 

Alexander,  as  he  gazed  upon  her  lifeless  re- 
mains, burst  into  tears,  and  uttered  the  follow- 
ing affecting  yet  just  tribute  of  respect  to  her 
memory :  "  She  is  no  more ;  that  woman  whom 
France  named  the  beneficent,  that  angel  of 
goodness,  is  no  more.  Those  who  have  known 
Josephine  can  never  forget  her.  She  dies  re- 
gretted by  her  offspring,  her  friends,  and  her 
ootemporaries." 

For  four  days  her  body  remained  shrouded 


92$  JOSEPHINE.          f  A.D.  1814 

Funeral  ceremonle*.  Monumental  Inscription. 

in  state  for  its  burial.  During  this  time  more 
than  twenty  thousand  of  the  people  of  France 
visited  her  beloved  remains.  On  the  2d  of 
Tune,  at  mid-day,  the  funeral  procession  moved 
from  Malmaison  to  Ruel,  where  the  body  was 
deposited  in  a  tomb  of  the  village  church.  The 
funeral  services  were  conducted  with  the  great- 
est magnificence,  as  the  sovereigns  of  the  allied 
armies  united  with  the  French  in  doing  honor 
to  her  memory.  When  all  had  left  the  church 
but  Eugene  and  Hortense,  they  knelt  beside 
their  mother's  grave,  and  for  a  long  time  min- 
gled their  prayers  and  their  tears.  A  beautiful 
monument  of  white  marble,  representing  the 
empress  kneeling  in  her  coronation  robes,  it 
erected  over  her  burial-place,  with  this  simple 
but  affecting  inscription  : 

EUGENE  AND  HORTEN8B 

TO 

JOSEPHINE. 


TKB   EHfc. 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000  879  535     3 


